Nick the Eraser: School's Out Forever
by Theanimedude
Summary: What is this new threat looming on the horizon? No matter what happens now, though, it's inevitable: somebody is going to die at its hands. Nick and the flock will never be safe- but then again, how is that different from any other time?
1. Chapter 1

Theanimedude: ... is back, baby!

Nick: Woohoo! Next part!

Fang: Yeah, whatever.

Theanimedude: Okay, so I finally, FINALLY finished the last one only to get writers block before I start this one.

Fang: What writer's block? You're just copying our characters and storyline and adding in your own.

Theanimedude: Shut it. And I'm having trouble getting my own ideas. I'm still taking all suggestions, not saying I'll use them, for characters, author's notes, and plotline. But, for now, it's what you've all been waiting for: Nick the Eraser: SCHOOL'S! OUT! FOR! EVER!

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Nick the Eraser 2 Chapter one, Prologue

Though it was believed by his enemies that Cato Striker was to be forever irretrievable from the deepest depths of the Antarctic Ocean, immobilized due to his entirety being encased in ice and his mind being frozen in the moment that he'd looked Nick Tundra in the eye, many would argue saying that anything is possible.

Those people are just downright stupid.

I mean, who in the world was going to swim down a good fifty feet or so in the freezing water, pick up an even more freezing, not to mention heavy, chunk of ice holding a striker, carry it up to a glacier and defrost it? Why, the only person capable of that without any assistance was Nick Tundra, and he certainly wasn't going to do that. And yet...

The icy white eraser swam down into the deepest depths of the Antarctic Ocean, lifted the chunk of ice with as much ease as one might lift a crayon, and propelled up to the shore. He deposited the frozen hybrid in front of him on the ice before lighting a small fire on the encasement through sheer force of will. The ice was converted into water, which quickly evaporated due to the intense heat coming from this fire, freeing the striker from his frigid prison.

He then pulled his fist back and promptly thrust it into the striker's stomach, making him come out of his eternal slumber and double over in pain.

"Hey, what the-" he started, looking around, seeing the figure in front of him and snarling.

"Relax," the figure said, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I am not who you believe me to be. I am, in fact, your friend. Well, as close of a friend I can be to a striker, considering we are two separate races."

"What's the password?" Cato asked suspiciously.

"Flock off, bird kids," the figure recited what he had been told to say by his higher-ups.

"Okay," Cato said warily. "What's the scoop?"

"The scoop is," the person said "Your entire team has gone against you and joined the flock, and you've been frozen in a block of ice since yesterday. You're slated for extermination right now. I'm the pickup boy."

"Geez, I feel so loved," Cato said drily, preparing himself for battle, but wincing at the pain this small movement required.

"I suggest strongly against that," the figure said. "You took quite the beating just from the Eraser whom I resemble, and a punch from me doesn't wear off for a good amount of time. Do not fret, however. I do not wish to bring you back to the school."

"But you just said-" Cato interrupted.

"I know what I said," the figure snapped. "I will not take this mission, however. Too limiting. If you forget Cato, neither one of us has the one powerful limitation that keeps all the other erasers and strikers wrapped around school's thumb."

"The expiration date," Cato said with a small grin.

"Exactly," the figure told him. "Now, here's what I'm thinking: we both are powerful enough to do so much more than the school allows us. The pathetic humans are petty compared to us. World domination should be a cinch. Without the flock and the other miscellaneous mutants hiding out around the world, it'd be even easier. So if you could assist me in this genocidal plan of mine, you and I would sit beside each other as the world's twin rulers. What say you?"

"If I'm going to believe every word you said," Cato said disbelievingly. "I'll have to accept that I'm insane."

"Don't worry old friend," the figure said, extending the word friend to seem like a curse. "As _I _always say, sanity is overrated,"


	2. Chapter 2

Theanimedude: The only vote for this chapter was for the new antagonist. He has an actor, so we brought him here.

?: Hello.

Nick: Um, hey.

Fang: ...

Nick: Why do you look so much like me?

?: More on that later.

Fang: Do you have a name?

?: More on that later.

Nick: Is there anything you can tell us about yourself?

?: Not without spoilers.

Theanimedude: And we won't have any of those. Anyways, question for you: ...

?: ...

Nick: ...

Fang: ...

Theanimedude: Um... without spoilers, there isn't much I can ask.

Nick: What's your favorite color?

Fang: Well, there's something.

?: Red.

Theanimedude: Why?

?: Because it symbolizes blood. Anger. Pain. Mmm, pain...

All: ...

Theanimedude: Nick, please give the disclaimer.

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

?: BLOOD! ANGER! PAIN! GAHAHAHAHAHA!

Theanimedude: Running now!

Fang: Aye, it be a plan, and a fine one at that.

Nick: Shut it, Jack Sparrow, and hit the road!

Theanimedude: Watch The Pirates, did you?

Fang: ... Yeah.

?: GAHAHAHAHAHA!

All: Let's get out of here!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 2

"So, tell me about this teleporter," I requested of the two youngest recent recruits. We were flying to DC as a sort of detour, just to take a rest. And a bath, apparently. It took me a little while to realize that Angel hadn't been holding Celeste when I rejoined my friends. No, it was a dog. Total the Scottie. She weighed her down considerably.

But, whatever, she loved the thing. Why take away a good thing when we've got so much going against us?

"Well," Kimmy chimed in- or was it Kiki? "It's still in beta, so there needs to be two. One in the entrance, one at the exit. It's inventor said he was working on it. When he finishes, you'll be able to travel to limitless different places."

"Hm," I grunted thoughtfully. Everybody had had news to tell me. The only person I hadn't heard anything from was Max. In my defense, I was saving the best for last.

"Hey," I said, gliding over to her and flapping in sync beside her.

"Hey," she said, smiling as she looked over to me.

"So, how were things while I was gone?" I asked her outright.

"I killed Ari," she whispered, looking down at the ground, thousands of feet below.

"Whoa," I whispered. "Good going!"

"No," she said, turning and glaring at me. "Not good going. It wasn't... right of me to kill him. I can feel it."

"I've killed him twice, now," I said nonchalantly, rolling to my back and flying upside down in a straight line. I was really just showing off. "You'll get used to it, trust me."

"No, Nick," she told me stubbornly. "You've been killing for almost half of your life. It's practically an instinct for you. Did you ever think, even for a moment, that the people you were killing may've possibly had futures?"

I opened my mouth in protest, but then paused. She was right. I'd never once thought about that. It had always been "wipe out the threat." No complications, just zip, snap, dead, over.

"Most Erasers don't have futures other than eventually having to pursue and fight us again," I pointed out. "But then again, Ari... what do you see in him? Be honest."

"He was a little boy when I first saw him," she told me in a hushed tone. "He's only seven now. He's Jeb's son."

"Jeb was the guy that took care of you when you were little?" I asked, just to be certain. Max nodded.

"Anyway," she continued. "He maybe could've had a life other than trying to kill us. But now that he's an eraser, he's..." she trailed off.

"Psychotic, satanic, stupid?" I offered. She looked over at me with an angry eye before once again continuing.

"He's kind of hopeless. I pity him a little."

"You pity the old him," I clarified. "NOT the one that's trying to kill us."

"Yeah," Max confirmed, nodding her head. "That's what I mean."

"What about the other erasers?" I asked her suddenly. "Should I stop killing them?" Max looked at me, and I didn't have to read her mind to see what was going through her head.

"There's really no right answer right now," I said. "We don't know if we're doing the right thing or the wrong thing. But either way-" I bolted upright in the air, stuck my hand out in front of me, flying backwards in the process, and caught the bullet that was meant for my head.

"It's keeping us alive," I finished, glaring towards the mass of erasers flying our way.

3-3-3-3-3

It took about as much time to process the fact that Nick had caught a bullet WITH HIS BARE HAND that it did to realize that the erasers that were coming at us were flying. We always knew that this was coming; we just didn't want it to.

Nick rushed forward before any of us, straight into the pack of erasers. A lot of them made the mistake of making eye contact with him, including the one with the gun, and instantly fell, petrified, out of the sky. The majority, however, avoided him and flew towards us.

The two little African-American twins went out in front of us, and- was that fire? Holy crow, they were throwing fire. There were so many that they surrounded them easily, but were taken out just as easily. The two Japanese twins disappeared, and erasers suddenly lost their wings in vast numbers and fell screaming to the ground before their assaulters rematerialized. There were so many that the flock was actually needed. Gee, what a nice thought.

We scattered in different directions at the surrounding erasers, Fang going off and helping Nick. I helped whoever needed it at the time with the voice's guidance.

"Feel weird fighting your old comrades?" Fang asked conversationally, kicking an eraser powerfully in the chest.

"Ever get tired of being so dense?" Nick fired back, freezing an eraser in a thick layer of ice, causing it to fall. "The erasers stopped being my allies years ago! Not even when we attacked you at the cliff were we really working together at all!"

He then morphed before roaring and slashing a wolf claw through an eraser's wing, splitting it evenly down the middle and making blood trail behind it as the lopsided creature fell to the ground.

"I see you're still morphing, though," Fang pointed out, chopping an eraser's neck speedily, knocking it unconscious and making it fall from the sky. I rolled my eyes and sighed exasperatedly, watching the two.

"Behind you!" they shouted simultaneously, and I whipped around into a roundhouse kick right into one of the mutt's faces. I turned to thank them, but saw they had switched places, each knocking away one that had been behind the other. They turned towards each other before breathing an almost silent and collective thank you.

"Let's not make a habit of saving each other," Fang said, turning around and slugging an eraser in the stomach.

"Of course!" Nick chuckled as he delved his sharp claws straight into an eraser's chest. "We wouldn't want people to think we like each other." I smiled as they returned to combat. My brothers were finally getting along again.

My mind came back to the battle, and I saw that the erasers were more focused on flight than fight. The wings had been graphed into their bodies in cruel, uneven ways. They were having more trouble staying aloft than they were fighting. Every time we dealt a blow, they lost a good deal of altitude if they recovered at all. They were flying refrigerators, and we were winged ballerinas.

We attacked like wolves from there on out- strike, retreat, repeat. Wash, rinse, repeat. Simple process, simple win.

Suddenly, I felt an attack land on my blind back, knocking the wind out of me. I turned around, took a deep breath, and used both feet to pound the eraser in the face.

Wait- Ari!

That was Ari!

As he wheeled backward, I wheezed as I flew away. Okay, he's died three times that we know of, and yet here he is. Man, you'd think he'd stay down for a little while. Maybe take a vacation, go to the FREAKING AFTERLIFE! But no, against all logic, he was back.

"Fang!" I yelled as Ari lunged for him. He took a swipe at Fang, shredding his new jacket.

_Okay,_ I thought to myself. _Most of the erasers are retreating, and there are some that are falling into the ocean, and some are going towards Nick-_

**BOOM!**

_Now there are some falling away from Nick, _I thought as the electricity crackling around my eraser brother dissipated. Now it was just Ari against the twelve of us.

"Nice to have some allies, isn't it?" Sara asked me as she flew up beside me, grinning, her face covered by eraser blood. She managed to look so cute and yet so powerful at the same time. It was so messed up, and yet it was also cool in a way.

"Sure is," I told her as the flock and Nick's team flew up beside me, all of us squaring off against the undead eraser.

Seeing that the odds were against him, he snarled and turned to fly away.

"We'll be back!" he shouted over his shoulder, his awkward wings fighting desperately to keep him aloft as he retreated. That had definitely his voice.

"You just can't kill people like you used to," Nick growled and stamped his foot, angry he'd missed a kill. That had been exactly what I wanted to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Theanimedude: And the winner is Nudge!

Nudge: (is completely silent)

Nick: There is STILL duct tape on her mouth.

Fang: Hold on. (rips duct tape off Nudge's mouth)

Theanimedude and Nick: (flinch involuntarily)

Nudge: Motherf***! Why does all this f**** s**** happen to me? Duct tape on my freaking mouth for weeks, getting it ripped off, and being kidnapped twice to be brought back to the exact same place! Well, for all I care, you three can roll around in a f**** patch of mud with a freaking pig!

Nick, Fang and Theanimedude: (gaping in awe)

Nick: Where was that beeping coming from? I didn't hear everything she said.

Fang: That was my DS. Now, what did you say, Nudge?

Nudge: I said, "Motherfart! Why does all this funny stuff happen to me? Duct tape on my freaking mouth for weeks, getting it ripped off, and being kidnapped twice to be brought back to the exact same place! Well, for all I care, you three can roll around in a funny patch of mud with a freaking pig!"

Nick: ... Wow.

Theanimedude: Um, Nudge. Question. How long can you sing "The song that Never Ends?"

Nudge: For three weeks.

Nick; Daaang.

Fang: (low whistle)

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: And here's the next chappie! Chappie is such a beautiful word.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 3

No sooner than we had gotten out of the frying pan were we thrown into the fire. I squinted at Ari's retreating form, and looking off to the left slightly, I saw... strikers. And a lot of them. And now they had wings, too. Dandy.

I was about to tell the flock and my team to get ready, but I paused when I saw Fang. He was holding his arm against his side, his face strained and paling. He needed help, as usual.

"You guys go on ahead," I told them, morphing just as quickly as I'd demorphed just seconds ago. "Find someplace to rest. I've got a problem to take care of."

"What?" Max asked me, squinting in a fashion similar to me. Her eyes widened when she saw the oncoming attackers.

"What are those things?" Max asked me, looking over in my direction.

"Strikers," I responded, doing some stretches I hadn't had time to do when the erasers were coming. "Tiger-human hybrids. I was under the impression that I'd killed them all. But there they are."

"We're fighting too," Max said, flying up beside me and cracking her knuckles.

"No," Sara told her. "Let us take this one. We're more experienced in fighting strikers."

"You go too, Sara," I said, surprising pretty much everybody but Espio and Camo. "No offense, but I can't go full force with you here, and I don't want anybody else getting hurt."

"Anybody else?" Max asked me, and IK pointed to Sara's arm, about as far from Fang's side as possible.

"That's probably gonna scar," I said, pointing out a small scratch. "It's pretty deep."

"... Nick," Max said after a pause. "What's really on your mind?" I cocked my head to the left, making it crack with a sound like splitting concrete.

"That felt good," I said absently. "I'd like to take this alone. Most of the fights I've won in the past weren't solo. I need to prove I can do this to myself."

_That, _I thought to myself with mind blocks up. _And Mister tall, dark and stupid here has a gaping side wound._

"... Okay," Max said eventually. "You'd better come out of this alive."

"Oh, come on," I groaned. "We've been over this, Max. I die hard." With that, I set my wings, stuck my clawed mitts in front of me, and rocketed towards the strikers.

**Circling your, circling your, circling your head  
Contemplating everything you ever said  
Now I see the truth I got a doubt  
A different motive in your eyes  
And now I'm out, see you later**

I took a good deal of them out just in the first charge. My claws pierced through various vital organs of any of the strikers that were in a straight line ahead of me and weren't paralyzed bodily by my stare. I turned around and repeated this process, clawing through even more of them, and I basically continually repeated said process to take out the first... maybe FIVE HUNDRED. I was just surrounded.

**I see your fantasy  
You want to make it a reality paved in gold  
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah  
Well, now that's over**

**I see your motives inside  
Decisions to hide**

Next I mowed a large amount of them down by setting them aflame. They fell from the sky as in huge red spheres of fire, and I realized with horror that they were on a collision course with the forest below. I snapped so that their flames would die before they hit the trees, and their unconscious forms fell without so much as a spark hitting the trees. Concentrating on this left me vulnerable, however, and a striker just about knocked my block off with a kick.

**Back off I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong we're Headstrong  
Back off I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
This is not where you belong**

**I can't give everything away  
I won't give everything away**

Another group of them was taken out when I retaliated by turning around and used water from a nearby lake to hurl them into the water. At the height I was at, that crash would've felt like hitting a sidewalk face-first. It was sufficient to take them out.

Conclusions manifest your first impressions got to be your very best  
I see you're full of **** and that's alright  
That's how you play I guess you get through every night  
Now that's over

I lined myself up to charge through them, cloaking myself in white-hot fire, before I was kicked from behind and knocked off balance. Of course, the attacking striker got a case of, no pun intended, hotfoot, and clutched his boot-clad paw, managing to get his hands on fire in the process. What a moron!

**I see your fantasy  
You want to make it a reality paved in gold  
See inside, inside of our heads, yeah  
Well, now that's over**

**I see your motives inside  
Decisions to hide**

I then realigned myself for the charge before speeding at my adversaries. The fire surrounding me grabbed hold of many of the strikers as though it was an extra set of limbs, making it easy to immobilize and defeat any strikers that got too close.

**Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong, we're headstrong  
Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
And this is not where you belong  
Where you belong  
(I can't give everything away)  
This is not where you belong  
(I won't give everything away)**

Just envision that: you're surrounded by fire, charging into a mass of blood-thirsty mutated mistakes, and said fire is obliterating everything you come into contact with. I figured at that point that it felt like being god.

So, next I tried to repeat the process when I felt a small pain on my side, followed by another on my back. I turned to see what it was, and it came at my face, causing the pain to come there as well. I realized then what was happening. The strikers were bombarding me with their claws, rushing in and slashing before flying away. They struck and retreated so quickly that I didn't have time to get a strike in.

**I know, I know all about, I know, I know all about  
I know, I know all about, I know, I know all about  
Your motives inside and your decision to hide**

I began to get angry as this continued, before eventually I became agitated enough to use the murderous phase- or form, now that I controlled it. My eyes went red, as did my vision, as the crimsom, translucent light enveloped my body the same way it had last night during my duel with Cato in Antarctica. I thought I was in control, at least. I manipulated winds around my hands, creating a small typhoon and holding its base. It grew to a larger size, large enough to hold the, say, thousand strikers that were left.

**Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
Headstrong, we're headstrong  
Back off, I'll take you on  
Headstrong to take on anyone  
I know that you are wrong  
And this is not where you belong**

So now I had them inside these winds, but said winds weren't killing them. I needed them to die. I wanted them to die. I fueled the winds with electricity from my reservoir, electrifying the strikers within the winds. It still wasn't enough. Suddenly, I got a wonderful plan.

I grinned in a fashion that would've petrified anybody even without my eerie paralysis abilities. I whipped the tornado in my hand down into the ground below, watching it crash into the forest and kill the strikers with glee.

**Where you belong  
This is not where you belong  
(I can't give everything away)  
This is not where you belong  
(I won't give everything away)  
This is not where you belong**

My sensibility took over afterward as I realized with horror that I'd just destroyed the forest. Nothing but charred, splintered wood remained.

I didn't understand. I'd thought for certain that I had been in control. But... I'd wanted to kill those strikers simply for the enjoyment of murder. I'd been a monster. I had been in control, but I'd actually wanted what I'd done.

Horrified at my own actions, I turned and flew in the direction I'd seen Max fly, demorphing out of my eraser form and my murderous form simultaneously.

Then- a pain. In my chest. It felt like fire. It felt like a million little bees stinging inside of my heart. The pain was so intense that I beghan to fall from the sky, clutching my chest. As I fell, I saw a slightly familiar grinning figure in the distance.

Blue eyes...

Blonde hair...

Cato.

And then, nothing.

3-3-3-3-3

Nick's body collided with a deafening crash a few feet away from us, making me (yeah, I admit it) scream. In my defense, so did everybody else.

"Oh my gosh!" Sara shouted, looking at him and running up next to him. "Big brother! There's a big hole in your chest!"

"She's right," Espio said coolly. "He is critical. A small amount of rounds were fired into his circulatory systems main organ."

"In English?" Iggy said anxiously.

"His heart's been shot," Camo told him, looking down at the eraser in front of him.

As if we needed more trauma, with Fang's horrible wounds on his side, Nick's being shot in the heart, and us having no idea what to do, two drunk-looking fellows ran up to us.

"He yo boyfriend?" one asked, giggling as he pointed to Fang.

"No no, he's yo boyfriend," the other said pointing at Nick.

"It's Bon Jovi!" he shouted, running up beside him.

"Shot in the heart, and you're to blame!" the other warbled in a horrible voice. I swore I'd kill both of them.

"Oh, yeah!" the first one shouted unnecessarily loudly. "We need to call 911!" He fumbled with his pocket, lifting a phone from it, and before I could say anything, they had.

3-3-3-3-3

Trapt- Headstrong


	4. Chapter 4

Theanimedude: And the winner is IGGY!

Iggy: Where am I?

Nick: You're in the boss's house.

Fang: Mmhm.

Iggy: (feeling around for escape routes) And who's the boss?

Theanimedude: Me. The one writing this fanfiction.

Iggy: Okay...

Theanimedude: Alright, so, question. Where do you keep your secret stash of bombs?

Iggy: If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret.

Theanimedude: Did Max tell you what she volunteered for?

Iggy: No. What was it?

Fang: Iggy! No! Just answer his question, or he'll-

Theanimedude: (holds feather threateningly)

Fang: (shuts up)

Theanimedude: (chuckling) Oh, no, Fang, keep going. By all means- **Give me some ideas.**

Iggy: Um, settle down, things just got eerily quiet...

Theanimedude: So, the stash?

Iggy: My jacket...

Theanimedude: You're lying.

Iggy: Am not! Fang, tell him!

Fang: Leave me out of this.

Nick: I feel left out.

Theanimedude: Oh, be my guest, be the next volunteer.

Nick: Um, how about we just have Iggy give the disclaimer?

Theanimedude: Fine.

Iggy: Um... Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Nick: Good job.

Theanimedude: Okay, so now we have the next chappie. Here goes!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 4

"Where is he?" I asked, running out of the waiting room. The flock was fed, we had a place to stay, Fang was being attended to. The only thing left to do was see Nick. Correct me if I'm wrong, but people usually aren't supposed to survive shots to the heart. Those drunkards hadn't even gotten the lyrics right. Anyway, I ran up to the front desk, staring the receptionist down. She was a thin, Asian woman, looking frightened of me.

"Um, who are you looking for, ma'am?" she asked me, looking me up and down.

"Ni- Matthew," I corrected myself. "Matthew Ride."

"Oh," she said, wincing. "The one who was shot in the heart? Room 335, third floor, left on the right hall."

"Thanks," I said, trying not to snarl. I turned to leave when a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist whispered before letting go and sitting back in her chair. Sorry? What did that mean? Was Nick already-

No. I refused to believe that. Fang was going to be okay. So was Nick.

I took the maddeningly slow elevator, claustrophobic and stupid me, forgetting to use the stairs, and it felt like an hour before the doors opened to the third floor. I bolted down the right hall and watched the doors on my left.

_329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334- Bingo!_

Resisting my natural urge to kick the door down and nail anybody that was in there, I knocked quietly on the door, my body trembling all over. It was cold. That's all it was, it was cold.

I heard shuffling feet before the door opened and a doctor in a white coat walked out and closed the door quietly behind him.

"You're Max, right?" he asked me, looking me over, trying to look over my shoulder to see my wing.

"Yes," I said with barely contained impatience, grounding the word through my teeth. "How's Matt?"

"Your foster brother... well..." he seemed incapable of full sentences. "Let's talk somewhere more private. He was very... unusual." He beckoned for me to come into Nick's room, opening the door almost silently, as though e was trying not to wake the room's occupant. I reluctantly walked into the room behind him, closing the door behind me with a small _click_ of the doorknob. Nick lay there in a hospital bed, his torn coat, shirt and jeans lying on the floor a few feet away. His brow was frozen in a furrowed position, his eyes closed tightly.

"He was a lot like your other siblings," the doctor said, trying to stay rational. What can I say; it's hard to be rational with us. "But... very different as well."

"And?" I pressed on.

"Well, he was shot in the heart... but not his heart." What?

"You see," the doctor went on. "Your brother has three hearts, and his circulatory relies more heavily on one than the others, though they are quite essential. He possesses three brains as well, but though all are connected by their stems to his spinal cord, he only has one receiving and sending electrical pulses."

Three... brains? Three... hearts? What?

"Now," he continued, clearing his throat. "He was shot in one of the hearts that his body didn't rely on so heavily. And miraculously, it's healing as we speak. I'm going to be blunt with you; I've only seen stuff like this in science fiction novels."

"But," I whispered, my throat very dry from worry and tears I was trying to convince myself didn't exist. "He's alright?"

"At the rate he's healing, he should be fine by morning," the doctor told me. "We didn't have to do a thing aside from put him in his bed and let him rest. It's just remarkable."

This was a lot to absorb, but I was relieved he was safe.

"Can I talk to him?" I asked hopefully.

"If he wakes up, I suppose," the doctor said, tipping his spectacles up and walking out the door. I walked over to Nick's bedside and placed my hand on his chest, where a small patch of scarred skin was easily visible. His eyes fluttered open slowly, his furrowed brow relaxing as his eyes scanned the room, resting on my own.

"Max," he breathed, smiling up at me.

"How do you feel?" I asked him, feeling three heartbeats in his chest. It was strange, but I'd have to get used to it.

"Like an angel," he whispered, taking my hand in his gently, ever so gently, his rough and calloused hand seeming much softer than it should have after so many horrible battles.

"An angel?" I asked, slightly puzzled. Did he think we were dead and in heaven or something?

"Winged," he told me, moving his hand that wasn't holding my hand on top of it. "And holey." I laughed quietly, not wanting to bother him too much. I knew then that everything was okay for the time being. I decided then that I believed in God and thanked him many times over for my brothers bizarre, but wonderful qualities.


	5. Chapter 5

Theanimedude: Angel is our winner today!

Angel: Hi.

Nick: Hello.

Fang: Hola.

Theanimedude: Okay, Angel: Can you read minds in your sleep?

Angel: ... Um, I don't think so...

Fang: How would she do that, exactly?

Nick: Well, you know, she could like, dream other people's thoughts or something...

Fang: I don't think so.

Angel: Well, actually, I had a dream this one time about Fang's thoughts, so maybe I can.

Nick: Oh, do tell.

Fang: I'm getting a sense of déjà vu...

Theanimedude: Disclaimer first, Angel. Then you can tell us ALL about Fang's little dream.

Angel: Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Copy, paste, copy, paste.

Angel: Okay, so Fang's dream was about Max, and-

Fang: Angel, please don't-

Theanimedude: Let her have her fun, Fang. We all know she's lying.

Fang: Wait, really?

Theanimedude: Hah! Heck no, whatever she says is gonna be legit.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 5

I heard the door slam closed in the middle of the night, and my eyes snapped open as I looked towards the offender. Max was leaning backwards against my hospital room door, sweat coating all of her visible skin. She kept touching her face and looking at herself, looking as though she thought she'd gone crazy.

_Erasers? The School? Somebody's here to get us? _Were my first thoughts. _No, Max would never run away from a fight. Then what...?_

I sat up, wincing at the short jolt pain in my chest, looking over to her with a concerned look. She looked over to me with a start, checked the room number, and slapped her forehead.

"This is your room," she muttered. "Crap. I thought it was just a random one. Didn't mean to wake you up like that."

"I was already awake anyway," I lied. "It doesn't matter anyway. What's this about?" I pulled my legs up, inching my way out of the warming bed sheets and sitting cross-legged next to the pillow, patting the spot that was available beside me to invite her to join me.

"It-It doesn't matter," Max muttered, looking away from me with a little bit of shame in her voice. "Go ahead and go back to sleep and heal up." Max never stuttered. She was confident, powerful, and brutal at times. Something was seriously up.

"Of course it does," I said with a chuckle as though to say she was being dumb. "You're freaked. You don't need to be. Some and sit down so we can talk about it."

Max turned to look at me with a small amount of distrust, as though preparing for me to laugh in her face. But she took one look into my eyes and mellowed instantly. She walked quickly over to my bed, and with her characteristic unfeminine lack of grace, jumped backward into a sitting position to the left of me when she got there. I grinned slightly, and she blushed before glaring at me. I raised my hands in mock surrender before I spoke.

"It's you," I said with a shrug. "And I like that. But that's not what we're here to talk about, is it? What's going on?"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered again, increasing my worry. "I just... I feel like I'm becoming something bad. Something evil. Like..."

"Like an Eraser?" I offered up, morphing only my face and offering an evil sounding growl, making her jump before I demorphed. Whoa, she'd jumped.

"Yes," she said shakily. "Like an Eraser. EXACTLY like an Eraser."

"Sorry," I whispered, placing my left hand on her right shoulder. "Why do you think that?"

"It's stupid,"? she told me, turning away. "You'll think I've gone insane."

"Max, you couldn't go insane even if sanity wasn't overrated," I told her earnestly. "Let's hear it."

"I-I," she started before taking in a breath. "I looked in the mirror in the rest room and I saw myself morph. Into an Eraser. But I touched my face, and it was still smooth, human skin. My hands, outside of my reflection, were like they've always been.

"I don't want to be an Eraser," she told me, burying her head in her knees. "Besides you, all of the Erasers just want to kill us. If I become an Eraser, I might kill the flock. I-I might kill you." She was sobbing quietly now, something I don't think I'd ever seen Max do before.

"Max," I whispered, but she turned away from me, facing the foot of the bed now. She cried into her knees for a couple seconds before I painfully forced myself onto my knees behind her, wincing all the way, wrapping my arms around her stomach and lower back in a tender embrace, the tops of my hands brushing against her jean legs. She froze at my touch, turning her head and looking back at me in her peripheral vision with surprise.

"Whatever's going on," I whispered, holding Max to me gently. "I'll do whatever I can to help. No more tears, Max. I can't bare seeing you cry. It makes me feel like I've failed you."

She eventually relaxed her body, leaning back into me as she moved in my arms to make herself more comfortable, stretching out her legs slowly, her short, blonde hair tickling my chest even through the hospital coat. I felt so perfect right then. I had my favorite person in the world in my arms, and she was relying on me.

_Wouldn't Fang love to see this, _I thought to myself smugly with my mind blocks up. _Nick takes the lead!_

We stayed like that, just me holding her like that, and her leaning into me, for what seemed like the longest time, but it passed way too quickly. I never wanted her to leave, but of course she had to, of course, as I eventually, reluctantly, released her as she put her feet on the white tiled floor, coughing with embarrassment. I stared up at her dreamily, a small smile on my face. She blushed when she looked at my expression, her eyes locking with mine. She stared into them without intensity, her eyes half-lidded and relaxed. I peeked into peeked into her mind and saw that, though she'd never admit it, she wanted to go back to my arms.

"I could get lost in those eyes," she said quietly, without realizing what she'd said, her gaze never leaving mine. "Like... shining sapphires." Was Max getting in touch with her inner poet?

"You know," she told me, leaning back against the wall, problem forgotten. "Back at the cliff, your eyes were gray and... well, empty. It was like you'd given up on life because you thought nothing good would ever come out of it."

"I guess I have you to thank for my eyes," I said, whispering her name, loving the way it felt passing through my lips as I stretched it out. "Because you came out of it, Max."

She blushed profusely, turning away towards the door and clearing her throat. "Good night, Nick," she whispered as she walked out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Theanimedude: Okay, we had equal votes, so we'll be presenting two characters today. Our two winners are ARI and SARA!

Sara: Hi!

Nick: Is that yes or hello?

Ari: Why did you kill me?

Theanimedude: It's in the original storyline.

Ari: What original storyline?

Fang: It's nothing, mutt, nothing.

Ari: MUTT? Why, I oughta-

Theanimedude: Sara! Why do you think your eyes are a different design than pretty much everybody else?

Sara: Because I'm a Hyuga!

Theanimedude: A what?

Sara: It's from Naruto.

Theanimedude: That's why I don't know about it... Okay, Ari! What's dying like?

Ari: Like being born... only backwards. And without people in white coats yelling "PUSH! PUSH!"

Sara: Why do they do that?

Theanimedude: Disclaimer! We'll get into that never.

Ari and Sara: Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Sara: Seriously, why?

Everybody: ...

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 6

I was almost back to our room when I heard a chorus of screams come up from the floors below me. Startled, I took off down the stairs, adrenaline already working its way into my system. My hands clenched into fists as I reached the first floor, to see a panicked crowd of people running into the hospital building, all with fear-stricken faces.

I heard a jumble of words escaping various mouths of the horrified people amongst the senseless screaming. I was barely able to make out a few words here and there. The most frequently occurring word was "Wolves."

_Erasers?_ I thought with surprise. _Showing themselves to the public? People could get hurt! Crap crap crap, this is not good…_

_Or maybe it isn't Erasers, _The voice suddenly piped up. _Maybe it really is just wolves._

_What are the odds of that? _I thought furiously. _Dang it, everybody's in our rooms, I can't fight a pack of Erasers on my own! _The voice seemed to sigh before going silent.

_Thanks for the encouragement, _I thought sarcastically, pushing my way through to get outside. What I saw stunned me about as much as something could've those days.

It really was just a small pack of wolves. About six of them, snarling at anybody who got near them, snapping at people, but never leaving their position, protecting one small area. They looked astoundingly familiar.

Then it hit me- They were Arctic Tundra wolves. The same Arctic Tundra wolves we had seen at the zoo in New York. Nick had been inside of the exhibit when he first discovered his ability to morph into one of the powerful predators, while still keeping his wings.

How was it possible? We'd flown here after leaving New York. Had they somehow broken out of the zoo and followed us here? But why?

Their heads suddenly snapped towards me, their lupine eyes locking onto mine. They sniffed the air and howled with fury before all lunging towards me. I didn't flinch, jumping above them and watching them narrowly miss, running past each other and turning to face me.

They began to circle me from six sides, snarling as they stared at me, daring me to move. I didn't move an inch, my eyes darting around to see the wolves moving strategically around me. The second I moved, they'd come in all together and strike before jumping back. I might've been able to defend myself from one or two at a time, but not from six simultaneous attackers.

I needed a plan. I needed some way to get out of this alive. I racked my brain for a way to get the wolves away from me. Nothing.

I moved my legs slightly, crouching down and jumping up in one quick move. Five wolves passed under me with their attacks; however one had smartened up and jumped after me. It's reaching jaws narrowly scraped my grubby shoe as I attempted an escape, knocking me off balance. I fell to the ground, scraping my leg slightly before I rolled to my feet. I couldn't risk letting people see me fly, but if I ran away I'd be leaving the flock and Nick's team. I needed to fight.

I waited for them to try to surround me again and snap kicked one in the side as it attempted to pass me, making it yelp and its comrades aim at me. I chopped my hand down on one of their muzzles before dodging the others. The two I'd attacked were a little stunned, but quickly rejoined their friends.

Then I leapt into the air once more, expecting them all to jump this time, which they did. I hadn't jumped with as much power as they'd expected, so quickly landed and laid myself down on my back, ignoring the pain in my wings and kicking one in the stomach before it landed. The wolf yelped, and I winced as I realized my mistake. A pack of wolves would tear you apart instantly if you fell to the ground, never giving you another chance to get up. The wolves landed and poised themselves to strike and nearly leapt towards me before I heard a low, vicious growling sound coming from behind me. The wolves froze and stared in the direction of the sound, all of which suddenly calming. Turned my head to see what was there and saw another arctic tundra wolf.

With sapphire blue eyes.

"Nick," I whispered, scrambling to my feet in case the wolves decided to attack again. He walked over to me, staring at the other wolves around me, and they all laid themselves on the ground in front of him, whimpering pleadingly. Nick growled disapprovingly, and they stood up and backed away from us.

"Max," Nick said, looking up at me. "Are you alright?"

"Um... yeah," I responded, slightly awed by his command over the creatures that had assaulted me. He must've used our mind link then, because he smiled a fittingly wolfish grin and chuckled.

"This is my pack," he told me. "Back from New York's zoo. I'm the alpha in the pack, apparently, so my command over them isn't something to be surprised about. The question is; how did they get here? And why?"

He let out a short series of barks, and the wolves ears perked up. One of them ran over to the area that they'd been protecting so desperately, lifting a large object from the ground with its teeth in a delicate manner. It carried the object to Nick, depositing it at his morphed feet.

"My guitar case," Nick said with surprise, his eyes widening. "I left it in the sewers when Cato kidnapped me. The wolves must've broken out and traced my scent to it under the city. They realized it wasn't me but still found me all the way out here... How?"

_These wolves have a powerful sense of smell,_ the voice chimed in. _They've also imprinted their mind's essences upon yours, Nick. They wanted to be able to keep in touch with you, but you never heard their voices._

_**And you know this... how?**_Nick asked, to which he received no answer.

_Nick, _the voice spoke again after a short pause. _Why haven't you left the flock? You're endangering yourself and them by being with them._

_**What are you going to do? **_Nick thought, and I could almost hear the snideness in his thoughts. _**Send Cato after me? News flash- he's dead. Your trump card is gone. You have no power over me or this flock, nor do you our new teammates. We live our lives, we make our choices.**_

_You seem to be basing most of your choices solely on Max, _the voice mused.

_**I love her, **_ he told the voice bluntly. _**Don't talk about her like she isn't here.**_

_Yeah, it hurts my feelings, _I thought with a sarcastic pout.

_You control your own lives about as much you control ours, _the voice told us. _Everything is planned, everything happens for a reason. Nick, I consider myself a friend of yours. The same goes for you, Max. _At that, I scoffed, rolling my eyes. _But in no way do I support your collaboration with each other and ignorance towards my judgment. Nick, you can be very helpful in ways other than the ways you are now. But with Max you are of little use. You destroy almost every test meant for Max. There is so much you can do to help the world. Remember when I told you that you could afford to be more open-minded? You've made new friends, like the two sets of twins and Sara. You should try to reinforce that friendship and get rid of the one you have with Max and the flock._

_Excuse me, _I interrupted politely. _But that's Nick's choice. He's already promised never to leave. He doesn't want to and doesn't have to._

_You're speaking for him, Max, _the voice said with disapproval. _Tell me Nick, what are you thinking? _

_I'm thinking you should drop off the face of the Earth, _Nick said with the utmost sweetness in his words. For some reason, the way he said it sent chills up my spine.

_I'm staying and you can't stop me._ With that, Nick hung up. I mean he literally cut the voice off from the both of us.

I'm sorry about my pack," Nick said, making sure nobody was watching before demorphing into his fully clothed human self. "I think they probably attacked you because you're carrying my scent from when I hugged you a few minutes ago."

"It's fine," I told him, waving the issue off. "But what are we going to do about the pack of tundra wolves sitting in front of the hospital?"

"Is there any way to get to the roof of the hospital from the outside?" Nick asked me, his hand on his chin, and I could tell he was formulating a plan.

"I don't think so," I told him. He looked around cautiously; making sure nobody was looking, and swept his hands upward in a wide arc. Suddenly, the wolves were airborne, being carried by sudden powerful gusts of wind above the hospital and falling down to it, landing, startled, on their feet.

"They'll be fine there until it's time to leave," Nick told me reassuringly. "Now, let me go back to sleep. My chest is killing me."

I looked at his chest and gasped as I saw a red blossom spread throughout his chest.

"Don't say that!" I told him. "You reopened your wound, stupid! Om man, please Nick, we've got to seal that up again!"

"Can you sew?" he asked me half-jokingly, wincing as I pulled him by the hand that wasn't holding his bullet wounded chest back into the hospital.

"About as well as I can cook," I told him with certainty.

"Let's get a doctor, then," Nick said glumly.


	7. Chapter 7

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 7

"Gol, Virginia is shore purty," I said to the Gasman, and he grinned. It was, though. Beautiful scenery, all of that. Nick's team had opted to let us take Anne's huge suburban, and they were flying high over our heads. In all honesty, I would've loved to let them take the car instead, but Nick was using his winds to carry the wolves so that he wouldn't attract attention. Somehow the two Japanese twins had morphed themselves into sort of camouflaged sheets, surrounding Nick, Sara, Kiki, Kimmy and the pack while blending with the sky and clouds. Those guys could transform themselves into anything as long as they could envision it perfectly, apparently.

But I've been skipping around for a little bit, now. A little while ago, when I'd found Nick's room, I didn't really mention Anne, the FBI agent that gave the hospital money for Fang's injury in exchange for us letting her observe our… unique qualities in her humble abode. So we were going to be staying with Anne for a little while.

All in all, it wasn't a bad plan. Sure, we were getting a little sidetracked, but now we had time to look at the papers we'd gotten from the underground lab in New York. We might've even been able to find our parents. In the meantime, we'd had a nice place to crash every day.

At first, we'd given Anne and the FBI pseudonyms to mask ourselves in case they were from the school. Iggy was Jeff, Angel was Ariel, Gazzy was Captain Terror, (don't ask, please, just don't.) Nudge was Krystal, and Fang was Nick. That one came as a bit of a surprise from Nick- I mean, Matthew. But he got over it quickly, actually teasing Fang a little about it. Camo and Espio had chosen the names Yin and Yang, and they managed to scare Anne a little bit with their lack of emotion. It was kind of funny to watch. Sara was Alexandria, because it was her second favorite name. Kiki and Kimmy, however, kept their names, just as I did.

Angel's dog Total was in my lap, though he deliberately moved over to Fang's once he realized how hot I was. I didn't mind. The dog wasn't really all that fun to have around. Besides, all I was doing was staring out the window, seeing different animals, watching the slightly shimmering patch of sky flying above us. Every so often I'd link minds with Nick, and I could hear him laughing as he talked with his friends- the ones I hadn't gotten to know very well.

The two Japanese twins I wasn't sure about, as they were very... unpredictable. I mean, being able to transform into just about everything, entirely emotionless, and the fact that they switched loyalties without a second thought made them almost like robots. Nick would kill them if he had to, just as he said. The two little African-American twins seemed okay, being very loving towards Nick and slowly bonding with Sara and Angel. Nick now had his own little trio of little sisters.

I didn't count Angel because she seemed to be growing further and further away from Nick the closer he got to his newer friends. I felt kind of bad for her, but I felt like that needed to be discussed in private.

**Wait,**I thought to myself. **Angel can read minds, duh. I can just talk to her right now. **

**Angel,**I thought towards her, not turning, hoping she'd hear me. It took a couple of seconds, but she responded pretty soon.

_Yeah, Max?_

**How do you feel about Nick right now, sweetie?**

_... I feel like he's been forgetting me ever since he met Sara._

**Does that hurt your feelings?**

She sniffled in the seat next to Gazzy, and he turned his head to look at her. Everybody else, including me, did the same. I didn't want to look like I didn't care.

"Hey, An-Ariel," he said, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Captain," Angel told him, smiling convincingly up at him.

"Are you sure?" Fang asked her, his eyes going from their usual emotionlessness stare to a caring, worried look that he only got when he was worried about us. Angel mumbled an "Mmhm" before turning to look out the window again.

"Ariel," Anne broke in, looking at her from the rearview mirror. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"I'm fine, really," Ariel said, shaking her head with a short laugh. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows, meaning "Do you want to tell them? It's up to you."

"No," she told me with a lowering of her glance. Everybody shrugged and sat back in their seats, going about their own businesses.

_It does,_Angel broke in. _Hurt my feelings, I mean._ _I miss that one time when he held me at the hawk's cave, after you guys got me out of the school. I felt closer than ever to him then._

**Do you want me to talk to him about it?**

_No, but maybe... Maybe set up a time for us to be alone together, just him and me. Could you do that, Max? Please?_

**Of course, sweetie, **I thought to her, trying to project a smile into her head somehow. She apparently got it, because she sent one right back.

_Thank you, Max, _she told me in my thoughts gratefully. _I love you._

**I love you too, sweetheart, **I told her, a real smile coming to my face then.

3-3-3-3-3

"So… he's still alive?" Dak asked Cato after receiving a report from him.

"Yeah," Cato growled, refusing to look up from his black boots. "I thought for certain I shot his heart. I watched him fall out of the sky." Cato had never failed an assignment before. He knew what happened to mutants that failed though- they were eliminated due to obsoleteness. Dak was going to kill him, he was sure of it.\

"Whatever," Dak said with a shrug.

"What?" Cato said, his head snapping upward and his bewildered eyes meeting Dak's nonchalant ones.

"It's not like we could've expected him to have three hearts, right?" Dak asked him with a chuckle. **I **would have been fooled, too. What am I gonna do, kill you?" Dak snorted with a short burst of laughter, unnerving Cato and making him shiver.

"No," Dak said, his laughter subsiding. "We're partners, you and I. We are of equal ranks amongst each other. Punishment is out of the question." Cato stared at him, amazed. Dak's power was like that he'd only seen once before- from Nick Tundra himself. And yet he was treating Cato fairly.

"This is a joint operation," Cato continued. "We will conquer the world together, sharing our bountiful rewards equally. Neither of us is above the other."

"Besides, it's not like you failed. If he's still alive, then we just have to kill him again. I'm leaving that up to you since you seem so eager. But I can help if you like." Cato stared at him with disbelief. No way was he serious.

"No, wait-I think what this needs is a new plan," Dak decided, lifting his hand to his chin. "I can give you a handheld machine that would negate his elemental control if only I had a sample of each kind of attack. So what I'll do is give you a machine that adapts and learns how to negate attacks from experience. Shouldn't be too hard… You just have to let yourself be hit with each one at least once. I'll give you a special armor that'll be able to withstand his attacks while channeling them into the machine. In the end, he'll be down to only his physical capabilities, and you'll have whatever weapons I give you."

"But I'm going to need you to shoot him with this," Dak said, brandishing a rather large firearm, its size making it colossal enough that most men would've needed two hands and would've been having trouble- but then, Dak wasn't most men. It was black with red rings coating it everywhere. "It'll make it even easier to kill him. I know it seems crazy, but I actually don't want you to kill him- just weaken him. We have to bide our time. We've seen that he can survive even mortal injuries. Where do you think his strength comes from?" Cato stared at the eraser, stumped.

"Love," Dak said, morphing his hand into a white wolf claw and slashing it into a wall. "Blasted love is what makes him strong. He fights for his friends. The only reason your gang was able to kidnap him back in New York was that he felt no love at the time. He overwhelmed you as soon as he felt that love return. Take away his love, take away his strength. If we can destroy his love, he'll be just as vulnerable as a baby."

"So I need you to tell me which one he loves the most, which one the death of would crush him the most," Dak finished, placing the weapon he'd been holding back on its shelf. "I know you spied on him for a significant amount of time. Did you ever find out which one he loves the most?" Cato mulled it over before a sinister grin crept across his face.

"Maximum Ride," Cato said with a grin. "Should I kill her?"

"No," Dak said, his smile growing as his devious mind set a horrible plan in place. "I think that what we should do is find a way to separate him from her and the others, and then make them think that he's betrayed them. They'll think I'm him, and in turn betray him."

"Oh, I like this plan," Cato grinned as he pictured the poor, defeated face of a betrayed Nick Tundra.

"It's perfect," Dak said before pausing. "We just have to wait for the right time to do it."

"I hate waiting," Cato snarled, imagining Nick's head in his hand and clenching his fingers so tight he brought blood to his palm. "When do you think that time will come?"

"Soon enough," Dak said smoothly. "In the meantime, why don't you get that data for me? Attack Nick after I give you your armor and defensive machine. I mean, if you want to. I'm not forcing you to at all."

"I'd love to," Cato said with a smile. "Don't kill him, but weaken him, right?"

"Right," Dak confirmed for the striker. "Just don't reveal anything yet. Attack him when he stops moving, no sooner."

"Got it, boss," Cato said, sitting down in a luxurious leather recliner behind him.

"Not boss," Dak reprimanded. "Partner. You do the field work, I work behind the scenes. We're equal in ranks, remember?"

"Right," Cato nodded, still surprised by Dak's leniency. "Thanks, bo- partner."


	8. Chapter 8

Theanimedude: No reviews… kind of stinks, but whatever. If I don't get some reviews soon, this'll be the last chapter I write. Because what's the point of writing if nobody's going to read it? By the way, I noticed I'm losing on Google, now. The Lagend of Korra's beating me. Freaking Avatar is beating me. So please, review and Google Nick the Eraser. Otherwise, I'm ready to be done.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 8

Things had taken an interesting turn. I'm not complaining, no, not at all. It was just that I hadn't stayed in a regular house since I last saw Dr. Martinez and Ella.

The flock had all settled into bed, but the members of the pack (that's what I call Sara, Kimmy, Kiki, Camo and Espio) were sleeping outside. Anne's house had seven rooms, one for her, and one for each member of the flock. When she saw that she was going to have six extra occupants, she hired a construction tea to add on to her house. I'm not kidding; she just whipped out a Yellow Pages book and called Hal's. They'd be here first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we'd be sleeping on couches, considering there was practically a plethora of them.

Anybody left out? Oh yeah- my pack of wolves. They had quickly adapted to Anne's little farm after I briefly and forcefully told them that all the animals on this farm were friends, not food. They seemed fidgety though, so I set them loose in a nearby forest when night fell so that they could hunt.

I was sitting on Anne's roof, where I'd decided I'd be sleeping, waiting for the return of the tundra wolves. This was an unfamiliar climate for them. I was hoping that their great sense of smell would lead them to me. Anyways, there I was, stretched out on the rooftop, when I saw something moving through the air. It could have been a bird. If bird's had blond hair and blue eyes. I squinted before my eyes widened with surprise.

"No," I whispered. I'd thought that when I'd been shot I'd just gone insane and seen something random. No, there it was, right in front of me. Why was it that every person I killed eventually came back? Miscellaneous strikers and erasers don't count, they stay dead.

"Cato," I said, before I shot to my feet and leapt into the air, not bothering to get a running start before I spread my wings, feeling the cold night air rustling through my feathers. I got to him in an instant, and almost simultaneously we latched onto each other's hands, trying to push the other away.

"Nice place you got here," Cato said to me with a smirk. "So glad you've got a mommy to take care of you."

"Do I have to kill you again?" I asked nonchalantly, pushing down suddenly, forcing him to lose a little altitude. I stopped flapping and let myself drop, making my body a straight vertical line above Cato, face down, before flipping halfway and crashing into his stomach feet first. My weight and momentum carried him down fast and hard, and we fell all the way down to the ground, my position keeping him from moving anywhere after his back impacted against the ground with a bone-shattering crash. He seemed oddly unfazed by the pain that should've knocked him unconscious. So I decided to take a different approach.

"Sleep," I told him, leaning down to meet him eye for eye. I tried to use the gorgon eye on him, but suddenly his eyes became transparent- just before glowing crimson. I jerked backwards, startled, and he laughed at me, reaching up and whipping my legs out from the top of him while I was in my stupor. He jumped up and cackled as he looked down on me.

"I won't fall for that old trick, Tundra," Cato said, rolling up the sleeves on his leather jacket with a flourish. "I've outgrown it."

"I'm still stronger than you," I snarled, forcing back my short little burst of fear, pushing up from the ground and punching his gut with strong enough force to make him cough up blood. He flew off my fist after the punch, flying through the air before recovering, spreading his wings and turning tail.

"No way do you get away that easy!" I shouted, flying after him. He was substantially faster than the last time I fought him which was about a week ago- seemed like a month or two, though- and I almost had trouble keeping up. Eventually I caught up to him, going around him and shooting a jagged bolt of electricity in his front to intercept him. He took the bolt head-on, but afterwards he seemed barely rattled.

"What happened to you?" I asked him incredulously. "One way or the other, you should be dead by now!"

"It's amazing what a few night's sleep will do for you," he said calmly. "I've almost changed completely. But two things haven't changed-" he held up two fingers to emphasize his words. "One is that I still hate you. The other is that still I'm stronger than you." He laughed a grisly laugh that made me shudder. Me! Shudder!

_Collect yourself, Nick, _I thought to myself. _You've beaten this guy before, you can do it again. Alright, where are we? _I looked down to see- water. Justa lot of salty, midnight black water that reflected the sky. _The ocean. The Atlantic Ocean. Okaaay, we flew pretty far… Okay, you can use this Nick. Just think of how._

"Oh yeah?" I asked him brilliantly. I swept my arms up from my sides, bringing a swirling pillar of water up from the ocean and wrapping Cato in it. I froze it once it was firmly wrapped around him, forcing electricity and fire inside of the ice while preventing it from melting. I then pushed wind down on him, making the pillar fall to the ocean with him inside of it, burning, being electrocuted and immobilized.

"Ha-HAH!" I laughed victoriously, panting from the effort I'd made. "Who's laughing now, little puddy tat?"

"Me," he responded coolly from behind me. Is it possible to jump five feet in the air when you're hovering in one spot, you might ask. I might say yes, but only if you asked.

"W-what?" I asked, dumbfounded, bewildered, (insert your favorite swear word here) amazed, before his fist connected solidly with my face, pushing me down so quickly it took me fifteen seconds to stop being stunned and figure out that I was underwater, my bubble surrounding me and keeping me dry.

"How?" I asked nobody in particular, lying down on my back on the sea floor. "How is he so much stronger?"

**WE ARE STRONGER THAN HE IS, NICK.**

"W-what?" I asked, looking around. "Who said that?" That hadn't been the voice.

**I DID, NICK. WE DID. YOU AND I, TOGETHER. **

"Huh?" I said, confused. "Who are you?"

**A FRIEND, NICK. YOU LET ME IN. YOU ALWAYS RESISTED ME, BUT WHEN YOU LET ME IN, WE BECAME SO MUCH STRONGER, TOGETHER.**

"The murderous phase," I whispered with realization.

**I PREFER TO BE CALLED BY MY NAME, NICK. THE NAME I GAVE MYSELF- THE MERCILESS. **

"Merciless?" I asked for confirmation.

**WE ARE STRONGTOGETHER, NICK. WE ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL THAT PATHETIC CAT BOY. YOU LET ME IN AND I MADE YOU STRONGER. LET ME IN AGAIN, NICK.**

"No," I shook my head frantically. "You took so many lives. You destroyed a forest."

**WE ****DESTROYED THAT FOIREST, NICK. YOU AND I TOGETHER. WHAT HAD THAT FOREST EVER DONE FOR YOU? NOTHING. I CAN MAKE YOU STRONG. I ****HAVE**** MADE YOU STRONG. ALL YOU'VE EVER HAD TO DO IS LET ME IN.**

"No," I whispered. "You and I aren't the same."

**OH, BUT WE ARE NICK. WE BOTH CARE SO MUCH FOR OURSELF. YOU AND NICK- WE'RE ONE. ONE PERSON, ONE LIFE.**

"You don't have my life!" I shouted out, clenching my fists.

**OH, BUT I DO, NICK. I CARE ABOUT OUR LIFE JUST AS MUCH AS WE CARE ABOUT OUR FRIENDS, NICK.**

"What?"

**THAT BOY WILL KILL YOU, BUT HE WON'T STOP THERE. HE'LL KILL ALL OF OUR FRIENDS, TOO. FANG… IGGY… SARA… GAZZY… KIMMY… KIKI… CAMO… ESPIO… ANGEL… NUDGE… AND MAX. HE'LL KILL AL OF THEM.**

With every name he spoke, an image of them dying at the hands of Cato flashed through my mind. It was only for an instant, but I could plainly see the mortification in their eyes, the pain on their faces, the tears streaming down their cheeks. And I could plainly hear Cato's his horrible laughter as he destroyed my loved ones.

**IT CAN BE STOPPED.**

"How?" I asked the Merciless.

**I'LL HAVE TO ASK YOU A FAVOR, THOUGH.**

"Anything!" I yelled, falling to my knees and pounding the sand beneath me with my fists as I felt hot tears surfacing in my eyes.. "Please! I'll do anything!"

**I ASK ONLY THAT YOU LET ME IN-** I did so immediately, giving myself up to the merciless.

**-SO THAT I MAY BE LET OUT. **I could see the smirking face of The Merciless before I snapped back to reality. My vision was a heated crimson, the world looked so red. The red aura that had surrounded me in the past flared around me, now more like a powerful flame than a sphere. I morphed instantly, and I could tell even through my heated vision that my fur was shimmering red.

I howled in a voice that was mine as well as The Merciless', leaping as the water parted around me and I hit the cold night sky. My scarlet wings spread wide and I was immediately upon Cato. He took one look at me and froze. We hovered a few feet away from each other, our gazes locking into each other's.

"**YOU DIE TONIGHT!"** we shouted, The Merciless and I. We flew towards Cato, our hands grabbing his shoulders. He struggled against our grip and groaned in agony as we squeezed hard on him, joyously listening to his bones crack.

Then, so fast nobody could have traced the movement, our fist was hitting the night air behind him after passing through his upper stomach. His pupils dilated before becoming dull and perfectly lifeless. We laughed with glee before I came back to my senses.

"Why?" I asked myself, taking my hand out of the inside of Cato and watching fall to the ocean, a huge, gaping tunnel in his torso. "I must have just… imagined all that. That's all. I did that myself."

I turned and poured on the speed, flying back to Anne's. I touched down in the front yard, where my wolf pack waited for me anxiously.

"Hey guys," I said to them in their language. "How was the hunt?"

"Fine," one told me. "We've all eaten our fill. Where shall we rest for the night, alpha?"

"Right here," I told them. "Just sleep wherever you want."

I laid down on the roof, my mind reeling. The flock and pack never noticed I was gone. I hadn't been gone that long, though. That was all. Why had I killed him?

_For my friends,_ I told myself. _So that they wouldn't die. That's all that matters, that they live._

_Does it matter to them if I live?_


	9. Chapter 9

Theanimedude: I'm back. Miss me?

Nick: Kind of.

Fang: Nope.

Theanimedude: Oh, I can feel the love tonight. Anywho, Dak and Cato are here, but they actually aren't allowed in here after Dak's first time in here. He blew up my house.

(Explosion)

Nick: Aaand he's trying to again. I'll just give the disclaimer. Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as the new villain here, to be named later. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Okay, so my choice in music has been heavily biased towards the songs that I believe are the greatest mothertruckers on the planet. So, music requests are being accepted. Encouraged, even. Tell me if you want it to be a casual situation, Nick playing it, or a battle, whatever.

By the way, I have plans for Darcy and Eyes Open for the future. Don't worry, the fan character, as well as the song, are both coming eventually. Next chappie, mah readahs!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 9

"Good one," Total said, and I rolled my eyes, looking over to see Gazzy making an innocent face. Except he wasn't. He was about to go for a dive bomb into Anne's pond. I looked down at the little Scottie from my branch, and he glanced up at me questioningly before walking away to sit in the shade.

"Hey Angel," I whispered, sliding down the tree. "Can Total… um… talk?"

"Yup," Angel said, wringing out her hair as she trudged out of the pond. "Don't tell him I said this, but he's really not that interesting." I laughed nervously, and I'm sure if I'd been in one of those cheesy animes I'd of had an oversized bead of sweat on my face.

_Wonder if anybody knew before me, _I thought to myself. _Why do I feel like I'm the last one to learn everything? Whatever, guess I'll go find Nick, see if he knew anything._

I walked past the pond, dodging the water that splashed out as Gazzy once again almost landed on Nudge after a thirty foot plummet. I had to walk by Camo and Espio, both holding the same book, their eyes moving in synchronization, kind of freaky. They glanced up from their book, looking over to me, and offered me a nod of acknowledgement. I nodded back, turning away and running. Not much scares me, but those guys freaked me OUT.

Anyways, I walked around for a bit, looking for my self-proclaimed brother. Come to think about it, if we were siblings, wouldn't we argue a lot more? It didn't really matter, though. Nick was sweet, I'd give him that, and he obviously wasn't still going for the boyfriend title. Why was that? Was I not good enough for him?

These thoughts made me think about myself. What was I like? I was wearing ripped, grubby jeans and a red t-shirt that didn't even match them. Brown eyes, blond, brown streaked hair. Kind of tall for my age. Athletic? Nah. I'm only constantly in fights for my life. Sarcasm- is that a good trait? Maybe to a point-

_Why do you care, Maximum?_

_Ugh, voice, butt out._

_I'll put my butt where I like, thank you. And why do you care what Nicholas thinks?_

_I-I don't! I'm just-_

_Stuttering even in your thought. First sign of a lie. You forget, Max. I can see everything. Every thought, everything, everybody, every detail of your life and body._

… _Creeper. _

_I am not a-_

_Just leave me alone, voice. Don't impart any pearls of wisdom. I don't need any crazy riddles._

The voice was silent after that. Thank god. Imagine if I had two voices in my head.

_**OW!**_

Well, crap. Guess who's gone insane?

_Wait, that's just Nick, _I thought to myself. _Wait- what's he "owing" for? _

I ran behind the barn to see Nick and Fang, locked in combat and at each other's throats.

_Should I intervene? Probably. Will I? Nah. I'll just watch two hot guys fight. …Wait, what?_

"Actually let me get a hit in?" Fang asked, breathing rapidly as he zipped towards Nick. "You must be tiring out."

"Yeah, well," Nick said, dodging Fang and watching him crash into the back of the barn. "I'm not exactly leaping for joy that I'm in a fight after last night." Okay, they seemed pretty conversational to be fighting.

"Yeah, yeah," Fang grumbled, peeling himself from the wall and aiming a right hook at Nick's face. "The Merciless, right? Takes control when you get angry or when you let it in. I don't want you doing to me what you did to Cato."

"Whoa!" Nick jumped back, dodging Fang once more before snapping a side kick at him, horribly executed, in my opinion. "I wouldn't do that." Fang's recoil wasn't much, but he stopped dead in his tracks after the kick.

"Seriously, Matthew, what's up?" Fang asked, standing upright and coming out of his fighting stance. He was using the name that Nick chose for himself. "That kick was just… weak. I've been going all out and you're giving me that halfhearted crap. At least act tougher."

"I don't want to hurt you," Nick said with a sigh, going over to Fang's side and leaning back against the barn wall. "You know I would."

"And?" Fang asked him plainly. "So what? I won't tell Max on you if that's what you're worried about."

"Nah, I just don't feel like giving it a chance, you know? I mean, I've already killed a guy. I'm not gonna kill my brother too."

"Brother, eh?" Fang asked, his trademark smirk coming on. "What about Jeff?"

"Who is trying to work in peace!" a muffled voice came from inside the barn. "Every time you talk, the bomb wires cross on me. Either shut up or blow up, because this thing is taking all of us with it if you don't quiet down. That goes for you too, Max."

"Does it now?" I asked, walking around the corner I'd stationed myself behind. "That bomb of yours better be for the erasers."

"For all you know, it's going in your closet tonight, sis," Nick said, looking over to me with a grin. "'Oh, I think I'll wear my BOOM pants today.' Wouldn't that be a riot."

"Ha ha," I said convincingly. "So funny. What are you guys doing?"

"Sparring, nosy," Fang told me, pushing off the barn wall. "He was losing."

"I am letting you win so that I don't have to pay for a tombstone," Nick told him with a frown.

"Why don't you give me a turn, Matt?" I asked, grinning as I cracked my knuckles. "I'd love to spar with you."

"I don't know, Max," Nick said, looking a little weary. "Nick is one thing, I mean after all, he is… Nick. You… I just don't want to fight."

"Tell ya what," I said to him with a smirk. "Spar with me, and spar good, I'll buy you some hot dogs and maybe a cookie. Don't, and I'll know that your avian genes are from a chicken."

"Alright," Nick said reluctantly. "But I want you to fight as though you want to kill, okay? Otherwise, I might just end up killing you."

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to keep excitement out of my voice. Call me crazy, but I wanted a fight, and Nick was an awesome fighter. Guess that's another part of my feminine charms. "Well, let's go."

Fang sighed, shaking his head as he walked off. "You girls have fun. I'll go find another butt to kick."

Nick's fist was against mine, and I felt a little blown back by his strength, but held my ground. I pushed him back with all my strength, and he leaned backwards just far enough for e to let go and punch his gut. I worried that I'd gone too far when he bent down and cursed, but my worries were forgotten when from his crouching position he spun the side of his fist into my lower back. He was holding back, though. I could feel it.

"C'mon, Nick," I growled, masking my pain with a grin. "Try harder."

"No," he said, before standing up and giving me a reverse roundhouse kick to the right side. "I'm staying this low."

"I think we could go higher," I said shakily, fighting the urge to fall down and hyperventilate. I spread my wings, jumping up and using his face as a launch pad before flapping and rising into the sky. He followed me, and caught my hand when I faltered in the air.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, his icy white wings flapping in unison with mine. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kicked so hard-"

I squeezed down on his hand and pulled him towards me, giving him a ball kick to the stomach, never letting go of his hand. He tried to fly away, but I pulled him again, this time using my other foot to kick his chest.

We could read each other's minds, I realized then. I could see if he was planning something.

_No! No way!_

**KID, SHE'LL KILL YOU! **The voice made me jump, loosening my holdon Nick.

_No she won't! She's my sister! _Nick argued with it, jerking his hand free and backpedaling away from me through the air.

_Okay, what was that?_ I thought to myself. _Voice, was it you? _

_No, it wasn't, _the voice said, sounding genuinely puzzled. _I've never heard that voice before._

"Nick?" I asked, alarmed. "Who are you talking to?"

"Voice," he told me, rubbing his chest slowly and zipping up his jacket. I hadn't hit him there that hard. "Why?"

"Nick, that wasn't the voice. That was something… evil. What was it?"

**SHE CALLS ME, YOUR FRIEND, EVIL. DO YOU BELIEVE HER? YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS. PRETTY SOON SHE'LL BETRAY YOU JUST LIKE BEFORE!**

Nick flew over to me, and I barely had time to block his outstretched leg.

_Okay, for one thing-Merciless. Name implies evil. Second of all-_

He brought his other leg towards my stomach, a little quicker than I expected. "Uh, Nick-"

_-Never once has she betrayed me, okay? Just a little dispute. Nothing more. It's been solved._

His fist came at my face from the side so fast, I never noticed I'd let go of him. The attack knocked me off guard, and brought a good deal of pain to me left cheek. "Nick, hey-"

_And do you think for a second I'd hurt her on purpose? Then you're crazy!_

"Nick, I-" he punched me again, this time in the back. When did he get behind me? I was starting to get scared. And he was really starting to hurt me. His eyes were showing some crimson around the edges. I was worried.

_And lastly, you-_

He kicked my back. "Hey, I-"

_-are-_

He hammer punched the back of my head. "Ow! Nick, stop-"

_-not-_

He tackled me from behind, making me start to fall from the sky. "Ouch! Ah, Nick!"

_-my-_

He flew under me, landing on top of the barn, right where I was falling. "Nick! Stop!"

_-friend!_

His punch hit my stomach like a sledgehammer, winding me and making me cough up blood. And I'll admit it- it also brought some tears to my face. I let them stay there, deciding that Nick needed some sense beaten into him.

I fell limply off of Nick's arm, landing unsteadily on my feet before slugging Nick across the face. He. Didn't. Even. Flinch. He just stared at me, the crimson around his eyes fading slowly. He stared, stunned, for a couple seconds before he grabbed me. I struggled, but I realized he was holding me loosely. He wanted me there, but he wasn't going to attack me.

"I-I'm sorry Max," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, I just… I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I told him, letting him hug me again. "It doesn't hurt." Was this from a brother or a guy who liked me, I wondered. And, okay, I lied. It kind of hurt a LOT. But I wasn't going to admit that, give him the smug satisfaction.

"I'm not aiming for satisfaction here," he told me, looking me in the eye. "I want to make sure you're alright. And if you're hurt, then it's my fault."

"I'm fine, Matt, really," I told him, shaking my head with a little laugh. He cared too much about me.

"No, you aren't," Nick insisted. "I can feel it, Max. I might've broken something. Here, let me see."

"Let you see what?" I asked him, and froze when I felt an icy cold hand on my stomach. I tried to jerk away, but he was holding me tightly.

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked, starting to panic. He promised once to never try anything.

"Making it better," he said in a hushed tone, closing his sapphire eyes and pushing in on my belly, making me gasp with pain. He wasn't doing anything but making it worse!

All of a sudden, the coldness on his hands became soothing warmth. I felt a little dizzy before he let go of me and I stepped back, stunned. It didn't hurt anymore.

"What did you just do?" I asked him as his hand went to his chest, right above his heart.

"Made it better," he told me, smiling slightly before a sorrowful emotion came over him. "I'm sorry, Max. Just because I can heal it doesn't mean I didn't do it in the first place. I'm such a jerk."

"No you're not," I told him reassuringly. "But what about that voice in your head? It drove you to do that. You didn't do it on purpose."

"I-I don't really know," he told me. "It says its name is The Merciless, and I think it's the same thing as my little murderous outbreaks… only smarter. Like the instinct evolved into an intelligent life or something."

"Is this going to be a problem?" I asked him, my mind still half on the fact that he was able to heal people now.

"What do you think?" Nick snorted, shaking his head. "Anytime I start fighting it makes me fight harder than I have to. I could wind up killing you."

"Can Sara suppress it still?" I asked him, noticing that his hand was never leaving his chest. "She used to all the time."

"Not since I let it in," Nick said, looking at the ground- which was the roof of the barn. Haha, up for them is down for us.

"What do you mean, 'let it in?'" I asked, making air quotes with my fingers.

"Last night, I left the house," he told me, making my interest flare. "Cato was here. And before you ask- yes, he's alive. So he was killing me, hardly doing anything and killing me. I thought if I didn't kill him he'd kill you, so I let it in when it offered a way to stop him from killing you. And now… I thought I was in control, but now, I guess not."

"Well, we just have to make sure you don't fight with us, just who we're fighting," I told him. "You're wild, but you aren't a loose cannon. We'll give you your space and you can open up a can of insane butt-kicking on everybody in front of you. Now," I paused, looking at his chest. "What did I do that made it hurt so badly?"

"Nothing," he told me, taking his hand off his chest with a grin. "Feigning weakness."

"I don't think so," I told him, walking up to him and using my no-nonsense voice and pose, with my hands on my hips. He sighed, unzipping his coat and showing me his bloodstained shirt underneath. It had spread over his whole upper body on the front of his shirt.

"I think I reopened the stitches again," he told me with a sheepish grin.

"Ugh," I groaned, shaking my head. "Can you heal yourself?"

"… You know," he said after a short pause. "That thought never occurred to me. I'll try." He put his hand inside of his shirt, wincing as he pushed in on his chest over his heart.

"Just barely," he told me. "I ran out of juice, I guess."

"Alright, I think we've sparred enough today," I told him, dusting my hands off. "Wanna go inside?"

"Is that an order?" he asked me, raising his eyebrows.

"I said so, didn't I?" I asked with a snort.

"Well, no," he said in a 'duh' tone of voice. "You never order me to do anything. You've always only asked."

"Well, um, come inside with me," I told him, feeling a little guilty. The fact that he noticed that must've meant that he already felt like we were excluding him. I didn't mean to make him feel like that. He nodded before jumping backwards off the barn, making me gasp. He landed smoothly on the ground in front of the barn doors, smirking up at me before turning to walk casually to Anne's house. He'd known I'd be worried if he did that!

So. He was getting braver. Hm. He was probably trying to get attention so that he wouldn't feel excluded. I'd have to make sure to include him more in what we were doing.

Hopefully he wouldn't decide to leave again.


	10. Chapter 10

Theanimedude: Who's back? I'm back. Miss me?

Fang: No.

Nick: Not really.

Theanimedude: Well, I'm sure SOMEBODY missed me. I'm really, really sorry for the long wait. I've hardly gotten a minute to work on this for a long time. I've made this chapter pretty long to try to make up for it. Anyways, Total's here.

Total: Hey there.

Nick: AGH! NOOOO!

Fang: What the-

Theanimedude: Nick. Come down out of the tree.

Nick: No! Never!

Total: What's his problem?

Theanimedude: Well, he doesn't like to have other canines on his territory.

Total: So instead of barking at me like a REAL dog, he climbs up a tree like he's a cat or something?

Nick: (jumps out of tree as a tundra wolf) Grrrrrrrr…

Total: Grrrrrr… (both pounce on each other)

Theanimedude: I didn't even get to ask Total his question.

Fang: Ah, well. Find something else to take up the time.

Theanimedude: Okay, how about how I named Dak?

Fang: You mean by fusing Jak and Daxter's names?

Theanimedude: What? No! No no no- but I can see why you would think that.

Total: AGH! I'm on fire!

Fang: Hm. Then how'd you think it up?

Theanimedude: Well, it's kind of unoriginal, but I just mixed the word "Dark" with Nick's name to get Dak's.

Fang: Wouldn't that be-

Nick: Ow! Ear! Ear ear ear-

Theanimedude: No, I had the same thought, though. I realized that, had a short laugh, and changed it up a bit.

Fang: Hm. Well, then. What now?

Theanimedude: Guess we have Total give the disclaimer-

Total: Let go of my tail! Ow! I swear, it's going to rip right off! The ladies love this tail! Let go of me!

Theanimedude: … Or, you know, you could.

Fang: Hm, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Review or Ari kills a kitten. Haven't said it in a while, honestly don't know if I should. Adam, if you're still reading this, thanks. Same goes for Steven, Carl and John. See you after vacation.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 10

It was a few days after Nick and I had our little sparring bout. I angled myself downwards before gliding down to the roof of Anne's house, tucking my wings against my back. Fang was sitting there, watching the rest of the flock play in the pond. Nick was splashing around, play wrestling with the four youngest of us- that being Kiki, Kimmy, Angel and Sara. They had teamed up against him, and he looked like he was actually getting tired for once.

"Next time I fight Nick," I said, plopping myself down next to Fang and alerting him to my presence, "I'll make sure to have him wrestle with a bunch of little girls first."

He grunted, nodding slightly, his eyes never leaving the pond.

"Are you back to being short with me?" I asked him, looking over to him with a scowl. "What, am I bad company?"

"The worst," Fang said with a playful smirk.

"Am I?" I asked him, grinning mischievously. "Well I'd take Ari over you any day, Fang."

"I'd take Nick over you," Fang told me. "And that's saying something."

"Meh, you two seem to get along," I said with an overacted wave of my hand. "But me and Ari- we're like this," I finished by clasping my hands together. He choked, almost smiling. Almost.

"You talk a lot more when Nick's part of the conversation, don't you?" I asked him, frowning. "You're so open with him."

"No more than I am when I'm talking to you or the others." Fang said dismissively.

"Wrong," I told him. "You talk like you care about him when he's around. You smile, laugh, even. What is it about him?"

"… Don't ever use this against me," he said after a couple seconds, looking at me in his peripheral vision.

"Will I be tempted?" I asked him, smiling slowly.

"You'd better not be," he said with a cold seriousness I'd rarely heard from him. I nodded wearily, wondering what Fang could've been so somber about.

"It's…" he sighed before looking over to me. "His eyes. I mean, they make you want to be open. They give you a feeling of… security. Like whatever you say is safe with him. But at the same time, they make you see he really cares about every little thing. And…" he sighed again, shaking his head. "It's hard, even for me, to not want to talk to someone like that."

I stared at Fang, stunned by yet another one of his speeches. I could see why he didn't want me to use this against him. I mean, mister emotionless brick wall didn't want his rep ruined.

"Um," I stuttered after a second. "Yeah. I kind of see what you mean."

He nodded before pushing himself to his feet. "I'm hungry," he told me. "I'll go and see what I can scrounge up.

"Want me to cook for you?" I asked him with a serious look on my face.

He turned around, smirking, but when he saw my face he got a look of horror.

"You're not serious, right?" he asked me slowly and carefully. Oh, this was fun.

"Of course I am," I said, faking a frown pretty well, in my opinion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Um," he stammered. "Well, ah…" I couldn't keep this up much longer. It's really hard to get Fang to stutter, and it's even harder not to laugh when you do.

"Oh, you think I'm a bad cook, huh?" I asked him, glaring at him and putting my hands on my hips.

"No! Of course not!" he said with no hesitation.

"Oh. Then you do want me to cook for you?" I asked him, smiling brightly.

"Ahh…" he said slowly, his eyes darting around for some way to escape. I couldn't help it then, I busted out laughing. He looked at me, confused, before a look of realization came across his face.

"Very funny," he muttered. "What, did you take lessons from Nick?"

"No," I said, after I'd finished laughing. "Just followed his examples."

"He does the same kind of thing," Fang said. "Following examples, I mean. He fights like we do."

"Yeah, but he doesn't ever notice things before us-"

"Look out!" Nick shouted up at us before we both jumped backwards. Just in time, too. Because at that second, what Nick called a striker zipped straight past both of us, growling in frustration. I looked at Fang, and he nodded. The unspoken message, "Playtime is over. Time to fight," was obvious to both of us as we looked in the direction the striker had come from to see a whole swarm of them flying towards us.

3-3-3-3-3

It had been chaos, but with all of us combined we got rid of the strikers eventually. All of us were completely drained of energy, but fine otherwise. Striker corpses and blood littered the ground, giving the backyard a nice Halloween effect, but not quite at a good time.

"You'd figure after I killed thousands of them they'd be gone," Nick said, before collapsing onto his back and panting heavily. "One day. One day without us being attacked, that's all I ask for. It's getting exhausting."

"No kidding," I said to him.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Angel said, looking over to me. "Did you notice that we were only attacked by strikers, no erasers?"

"Hey, that's right," Gazzy said, walking over and wincing with each step. "What happened to the erasers?"

"Maybe the strikers phased out the erasers or something," Sara said, wiping blood off of her mouth with her sleeve. "Maybe the School wanted an improvement."

"That can't be it," Nick said, pushing himself up. We had erasers attacking us just a few days ago. The strikers came a few minutes after them. Separately."

"So are you suggesting the strikers are from somewhere else?" Fang asked, his hand on his chin. "That doesn't make sense. You said Cato worked for the School, right?"

"Yeah," Nick said, thinking harder. "But when he attacked me, he was alone. No Strikers with him."

"So he's working alone now?" I asked him.

"No," Nick said, shaking his head. "Cato was with the strikers right at the very end when the strikers came to get us. So… the erasers work with the school still and the strikers all work for Cato? That makes the most sense."

"Cato doesn't seem like the leader type, from what you've told me," Fang said. "I think you said he 'hates everybody but himself?' And he's only ever fought you solo, even though he had his own team."

"Yeah, so…" Nick was stumped at that one.

"So maybe somebody's leading him," Iggy spoke up. "Sending him on solo missions."

"Somebody strong enough to lead Cato?" Nick asked bewilderedly. He shook his head tiredly. "I must be getting old, because it feels like I'm only getting weaker."

"You and me both," I said, shaking my head. Someone strong enough to lead the guy that almost killed Nick. We had a serious enemy to deal with.

All of us decided to go to sleep after that, keep our batteries charged in case another attack came. Anne was wondering what the heck happened to her back yard, and we explained that we had been attacked by a group of tiger/human hybrids. There was some discussion as to why we hadn't told her they existed, and we responded honestly- we hadn't known they existed.

That night, when we did get to bed, Anne had tucked in MY flock. Every day, I felt like I was losing a little bit of my parenthood over the flock. This woman was not the mother. I was the mother. Nobody seemed to know that anymore.

"Hey," Nick said as he passed me in the hallway. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I lied to him, walking towards my room.

"Alright," he said, shrugging. "If you need anything, just let me know. I'm here for you." Nobody else had said that to me that night.

"Okay," I said. He nodded briefly before turning and walking towards the living room.

"Hey, Nick?" he turned back to me, raising an eyebrow in question. "Thanks." he smiled at me, a tired, but caring smile. He then turned back to keep walking.

At least Nick still cared about me. Nick didn't stop caring about me. Never would.

3-3-3-3-3

I walked to the living room only to have Fang stop me on my way there.

"What?" I asked him, annoyed.

"What's your deal with Max?" he asked me, his gaze piercing.

"What are you talking about, Fang?" I asked with confusion.

"You're getting pretty close to her," he responded coolly.

"So?"

"So, what's your deal?"

"My deal? She's my friend, Fang. And last time I checked, so were you."

"Oh, was I? What happened to her being your sister? What happened to me being your brother? You're getting pretty chummy with her for her to just be your sister. And what's with this not telling me what's going on here?"

"I- look, just leave me alone, okay?" I said, brushing past him.

"Look!" he shouted, suddenly holding me against a hallway wall. "I just want to know what's going on with you and Max. She acts like it's nothing. You act like it's nothing. But when you think you're alone with her, you act differently. I can see it. What do you want from her? Spill it."

"That's what this is all about?" I asked, shoving him off of me. "I only wanted what I've suffered half my life for- a friend. I'll take as many as I can get. But if you don't trust me, how can I trust you?" he stared at me with some sort of mix of frustration and anger.

"It's late," I said, waving him off. "You should go to bed." I watched him turn and leave the living room before turning around to do what I'd wanted to do in the first place.

"Hey," his voice came from the hallway, making me turn to face him. "I'm sorry, alright? I guess I was being a little jealous."

"Jealous of me?" I asked him before giving him a short laugh. "Why?" You've been her friend your whole life. You know her at least as well as I do. You've got a relationship with her I couldn't hope to have."

"No," Fang said. "Not like that. It's because you can talk to her so easily. I can't do that."

"Just tell it like it is," I said, smiling slightly. "I was serious when I said you should be more open.* She likes to know what others are thinking before she lets them know what she's thinking."

"So…" he paused before shaking his head. "You don't want her? I mean…"

"Fang," I said, looking at him with more seriousness than I'd ever used. "I can read her mind. I know that if she chooses one of us, it's not going to be me. She's known you her whole life. She knows who you are."

"She knows who you are, too," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, unlike me, you haven't tried to kill her and also unlike me, you wouldn't kill her."

"Neither would you."

"It's hardly my choice anymore, Fang. Rest up. She likes Bright eyes and bushy tail feathers in the morning."

He nodded before walking up to me, shaking my hand, and retreating to his quarters. I smiled before turning back around.

_Alright, time to get this over with…_

3-3-3-3-3

_Okay, I know how to read, _I thought hours later, hanging up the Starfall kit. _Time to get to reading. Now, what do I read… Books! I read books! Oh man. This is gonna be a looooong night…_

3-3-3-3-3

*Remember? Nick said it in the first Nick the Eraser.


	11. Chapter 11

Theanimedude: I just realized something horrible.

Nick: Wazzat?

Theanimedude: I've been complaiuning about Avatar beating me... but this practically is Avatar now. I've stooped totheir level. The originality of this at least had something in the begining, but now... nope.

Fang: Hn.

Theanimedude: So, changing the subject, had a bit of a brain wave, and I'm going to try out a new author's note thing here.

Nick: O RLY?

Theanimedude: Yes, RLY.

Fang: Hn.

Theanimedude: So, I'm going to shoot out a song name. I want you, mah loyail readahs, to try to guess what kind of situation it's going to be used in using as much detail as you want. The person that I decide is the closest will be rewarded with an addition of their:

Author's note plan

Or cookie

in my story.

I will happily use whatever cookie you send me.

Fang: Nobody's going to send in a cookie.

Theanimedude: You don't know that. Anyways, Fang: disclaimer.

Fang: Hm, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Insanescientist, I like to think I'm smart. But you were a little bit too vague for me with your suggestion. If you could either shoot me a pm telling me what your idea was or spell it out for me, I'd love to try to use your idea.

The song is **Exile Vilify by The National. **It will be used in an upcoming chapter. Very soon, actually. So send in your ideas (I'd prefer through pm so nobody reuses anything.) as well as what you wish to have added.

Now, without further ado, next chappie!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 11

"No, that's a "Q," Sara."

"It looks just like an "O.""

"But it has a tail, see?"

"What's the point of a tail if you don't have wings?"

"Some animal's have useful tails."

"Name one."

"…"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so why would you want a tail if you had wings?"

"For balance."

"Meh, I think I eat a balanced breakfast."

"You haven't tried Miss Anne's waffles."

"Are they as good as Max would make them?"

"Probably worse."

"Oi."

"Yeah."

Nick and Sara continued to make pointless conversation in the living room as I listened to them from the hallway. I'd woken up and gone to the bathroom- and it had happened again. I'd seen myself morph into an eraser in the mirror.

So after that, I was burning up. I thought I'd et some water to cool myself down. But I'dheard Nick and Sara talking so I… yeah.

Don't call me sneaky, haven't you wondered what your friends were thinking when you weren't watching them?

So, anyway, it looked like Nick was teaching Sara to read. When he learned? No clue. But it was neat, just kind of hearing them, listening to Sara learn how to say "Q," even if Nick had only recently learned himself.

Why I was listening in on them? Well… I didn't want to interrupt for one thing, and for another, again, it was neat listening to them.

"No, that's a "Q," not a "G."

"But I thought you said-"

"Oh, wait, yeah, sorry. That's a "G.""

"You're silly."

"No, you're silly."

Yeah, Nick was only just learning himself.

"Big brother?"

"Hm?"

"Can I go to bed now?"

"If you want to."

"I'm really tired…"

"Okay. You need anything?"

"Can you get me a glass of water?"

"Yeah, sure."

I heard a shuffling of feet before a "Thankew," from Sara. Then Sara walked into the hallway, all smiles.

"Here, Max," she said, handing the glass to me. Oh lord, I had another little mind-reader. I kept forgetting.

"Um, thanks," I stammered. And I was afraid I was invading on **their** privacy.

She nodded before turning around to sleep in her regular spot. Right on top of Nick. When did he start sleeping?

"Jealous?" she asked me, smiling even more brightly.

"… What?" I asked her. "No! Geez."

"If you say so," Sara said, rolling over, making Nick stir.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking over to me. "You need something?"

"No," I said, glaring at Sara. "Just telling your little sister good night."

Sara grinned innocently, burying her face in Nick's shirt.

"… Okay," Nick said, shrugging. "Good night again."

"Night." I turned back to go to my room. _That little brat!_

"Hey Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Scorpions."

3-3-3-3-3

By the time Sara and I were fully able to read, a couple of days later, Anne had already dropped the bomb. She was sending us to school.

"Wow," Camo and Espio said, looking at each other in their new, matching, school shirts. "We're identical."

"What else is new?" Sara asked, walking into the kitchen with her new school outfit on. "Can't wait to have a free dress day. This stuff is horrible."

"You look fine," I said, chuckling. "Me, on the other hand…"

"What's wrong with y-" Sara stopped in mid-sentence when she looked at me.

"Oh my-" Max whispered as she walked into the kitchen.

"Holy-" Fang…

"Oh!" Angel…

"ZOMG." … Just guess.

"Yeah," I said simply. "My hair's green. Funny, it was white when I went to sleep." I put on an evil smile as Iggy and Gazzy came into the room, snickering.

"Hey Ma-" Gazzy froze when he looked at me.

"What?" Iggy asked Gazzy, chortling. "Matt having a bad hair day?"

" Haha. So, does it wash out?" I asked, looking pointedly at Gazzy.

"Not unless you put more over it," he told me. "Would you please stop looking at me like that? I feel like you're going to murder me in my sleep."

"Hn. I'll think about it," I responded simply, before going to the bathroom to change my hair around.

That was how the morning started on the first day of school. Heckuva lot better school than I'd been to before, but hey, Doesn't mean I wanna show up with neon green hair.

"Hey Anne?" I said as I approached the hallway bathroom. "Do you have any white hair dye?"

"No," she said, coming out of her room. "It's really hard to find these days."

"So I've heard."

"Why? Your hair's white anyways-" she froze, similar to what Sara had done. "I have blonde. That's the best I can do."

"Thanks. Where is it?"

"Medicine cabinet. Right next to the green."

"Hm. Good to know," I said as I walked into the bathroom, drenching my hair with the stuff before walking out, about as blond as blonde could be.

Is it Blond? Or blonde? That's what I'd like to know.

"Sorry Matt!" I heard Gazzy say as I walked back into the kitchen. "You can have the rest of my waffles, I'm not hungry."

"Okay," I said, looking around, confused. "Where is he?"

"Blonde?" Fang asked, before catching himself and pointing towards an air vent on the wall.

"Oh man. Captain!"

"What?"

"Air vents are very dangerous! Get out of there!"

"How are they dangerous?"

With that, a loud FBBBBBBT! reverberated through the house.

"That's how," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Ohhh dang it… Captain!" Max shouted into the vent in front of her, her voice echoing. "Get out of there before somebody suffocates!"

"Did I really scare him into going there?" I asked, laughing to myself.

"Pretty much, yup," Nudge said, fanning her nose.

"And we haven't even gotten you to school yet," Anne said as Gazzy hopped out of an unscrewed vent.

"Lucky kids," Sara muttered. "Kiki and Kimmy don't have to go."

"But we get to!" the twins sang as they walked in, wearing matching uniforms.

"They're identical," Camo and Espio said.

"But they're four!" Sara said with confusion.

"They're tall enough that they could be six or seven, right?" Anne asked as she walked out to the car. Well, she had a point. "They'll be in your class, Alex, Ariel."

"Okay," Sara said, shrugging.

"Sure," Angel chirped. Meh heh. Chirped.

"I guess I'll eat those waffles now," I said. I did- and almost died.

"Matt?" Sara said, looking up at me, then at the waffles. "Oh. I warned you."

"They're fine," I gasped out after I swallowed.

"Why, Matt," "The Gasman said, looking at me with wide eyes. "You look kind of green- and it's not your hair anymore."

"I'm fine," I protested.

"Hey kids!" Anne shouted from outside. "Hurry up! You don't want to be late, do you?"

"Late? I don't even want to be **there**," Iggy grumbled, as the flock and my pack left through the door. I waited until they were gone to throw my waffles to Total.

"You can eat these, right?" I asked him.

"Of course," he huffed, chomping down on them. He paused after he took his first bite. "But just barely. Who made these? They're terrible."

"Finally," I muttered. "Something we agree on."

3-3-3-3-3

"Too bad our Nick got away," Ari murmured to Max II. "He'd be nice for a switch too, huh?"

"No," Max II said bluntly, nearly choking on her gum. "I hated him. Both of him. The original is too nice, and the new one…" she shuddered.

"Yeah," Ari said. "I'll have to agree on that one. If Nick's a freak, Dak was the king of freaks."

"It's weird, though," Max II said thoughtfully. "Cato disappeared at the same time. We should probably say something about that to the higher-ups."

"Doubt it," Ari said. "They know if we know. He took all the strikers with him, remember? Kind of hard to miss."

"So Dak and Cato are working together?"

"Nah, I doubt it. Even if they were, we wouldn't have to take care of it. Let's just focus on the job."

"… Fine."

3-3-3-3-3

I walked out of Camo and Espio's camoflauge sheet, as they called it, behind the new school we were going to. They kind of transformed themselves into two parts of a sheet that blended in with our surroundings.

"I'm glad we get to fly to school," Sara said, pulling her speckled wings against her back. "Too bad they have to ride in Anne's car."

"The flock?" I asked. "I'm sure they're fine. Let's head inside- don't want to be late."

My partially human pack and I walked into the new school- and guess what! No needles! No whitecoats! Heaven. Completely different kind of school.

"Hello," a lady with brown hair and white everything else said as we came in. "You must be… Matt, Yin, Yang, Kimmy, Kiki, and Alexandria."

She was standing next to a black-haired girl about my age, a brown-haired guy, a lady with a uniform much like hers, and a-

…

…

…

Ohhhh Lord.

An angel. A beautiful angel. Standing there, smiling at the pack and I. I'm almost certain I was drooling. She was just… wow.

She was wearing the tacky plaid school uniform, but she made it look good. She made it look amazing. She had gorgeous brown hair going down a little past her shoulders, and her smile… amazing. Am I repeating myself? I'll say it again- She was amazing.

"Um, yes we are," Sara said, pulling on my hand and snapping me back to reality. She must've been a goddess, to have frozen me so easily.

"You just missed your brothers and sisters," she said. "But that's alright. I've got some volunteers who want to help you find your classes.

"O-okay," I said, at a complete loss for words.

"Alright, Yin. Cassie here," the woman said, pointing to the black-haired girl, "Will show you to your science class, Rodrick," pointing to the guy, "Will lead you, Yang, to math, Mrs. Kensington will lead you three," she said as she pointed to the three youngest of the pack. "Will lead you to your first grade class, and Christina," she said, pointing to the hotdothotdothotdot girl I mentioned earlier- who looked amazing, by the way. "Will lead you to the gym, Matt."

I looked over, and I swear I heard choir of angels singing. The pack left with their respective escorts, and Christina looked over to me with a shy smile.

"Hi," she said, holding out her hand. I quickly put mine in hers and shook it, staring at her eyes. Oh, man, her hand was soft! It was like a silk hand.

"The gym is this way," she told me, walking down a hallway while still holding my hand. I felt my face heat up as she pulled me along. "You've got your schedule, right?"

"Um, yeah," I said, pulling the folded up piece up paper out of my pocket.

"Can I see it?" she asked me, and I handed it over obligingly. She looked at it before giving it back.

"So you've got Mr. Thomas's science class after gym, huh?" she asked me as we turned into a room with two stairways, one leading down, one leading up. She pulled me down the down one.

"Huh?" I said ingeniously. "Oh! Yeah."

"Okay. I'll meet you right here," she said as we approached a doorway at the bottom of the stairs. "After first period."

"How do you have time for all this?" I asked her incredulously.

"I'm kind of fast, she said. "You have to be when you only have three minutes to get from one place to another in a school like this. Three whole buildings, the main one, the smaller one, and the gym."

"Yeah," I said, staring into her eyes, not really hearing what she was saying. "Has anybody ever told you that you are really, really, pretty?"

Okay, stupid line.

"Most of the time they use other words," she said with a sigh. "Words I don't really want to say."

"What?" I asked with surprise. "That's crazy!"

"Not really," she said. "Eventually I got used to everybody in the world calling me rude things."

"Well, I'm sorry, um… Christina?" I asked.

"My friends like to call me Christy, or Chris- that is, they would I had any friends," she told me, shaking her head and giving a dry laugh.

"Really?" I said with surprise. "I looked at you and I thought, "Oh, she must be the most popular girl in the school!" How could you not be?"

"Oh, well you're sweet," she said, smiling that dazzling smile. "Anyways, I've gotta hurry or I'll be late. See you soon!" With that, she turned around and marched up the stairs, two at a time. I turned and looked at the gym door, still feeling warmth in the hand she'd held. It had been like when I was with Max, but… different. Like I didn't want her to be my sister. Something… more.

I shook my head with a small smile. The school year was off to a great start.


	12. Chapter 12

Theanimedude: Okay, Id kind of like to bring something up.

Fang: Okay, shoot.

Theanimedude: Somebody- SOMEBODY- was right with their guess. But it was a review, not a PM.

Nick: And?

Theanimedude: Alright, I love reviews. Love 'em. They're just so colorful, the way they look, and their... f-folklore...

Fang: (cocks an eyebrow)

Theanimedude: But if you want to send in an idea for the song, please make it a PM, not a review.

Now I realize this is impossible for some people, as they don't have accounts. That's why I'm thinking about ending this contest altogether. There aren't enough people and there are a bit too many complications. I kind of want to go back to just accepting plans without issue.

Now, you might ask why I'm asking for the ideas to only be sent in Private messages. Well, if I were to say who was right or use that person's idea, I'd be throwing out spoilers so that people would just be waiting for the next big thing to happen, knowing what it was. It'd spoil the surprise.

So, I think I'll do one more song... um, naming, and then see how things go. Honestly, though, I think I'm going to go back to how things were before in the end.

Which reminds me-

**In the End- Linkin Park**

There's the song. So, from now on, please send in your suggestions via pm.

Oh, and one last thing- please read and review Nick the Eraser: Origin of the Beast if you haven't already. And with that, I leave you with the next dose of chapterage from Nick the Eraser. Theanimedude out. (jumps out of view) HUT!

Fang: Nick's eating the fish.

Theanimedude: NICK! DON'T EAT THE FISH, DANG IT!

Nick: Awww, man!

P.S. Great news! I've got sixth place now when you type "Nick the!" I used to have first, but I'll take what I can get!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 12

Again! I just barely avoided being struck by the swift purple projectile, jumping quickly to my left. They just kept on coming!

In truth, I'd dodged (and even caught) bullets before, so these things were pretty slow, but I couldn't use my wings! There were too many people here that I couldn't trust with the fact that I was a mutant freak.

Another one, this time a bright yellow, sailed over my head. That had been a lucky miss on their part. How many did they have left?

We'd only just begin, and it was getting annoying to not be able to go full force. I wanted to end this quick-

Score! I caught one of the projectiles, a shining red sphere, and threw it back, nailing one of my opponents in the chest. I'd held back, so he barely felt it, I could tell, but it was enough.

I kept avoiding the hits, taking the projectiles and returning fire when I could, but my team was losing fast. Too many were already out of action. But every time I thought we were getting ahead, somebody would be taken out.

I'd had enough.

I grabbed one of the spheres off of the cold metal floor, throwing it with as much force as I could muster- right into a wall. It bounced off harmlessly before it barely touched one guy. It was enough. I repeatedly did this until I'd managed to get every single one of them down.

"Team one wins again!" Coach Renfield said monotonously, but with force. My teammates rose from the bleachers, cheering and giving each other high-fives. One more round of dodge-ball in the bag.

3-3-3-3-3

Just as she said she would, Christy was waiting for me at the door she'd led me to before gym class, all smiles.

"Well hello, stranger," she said, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the hallway. "Where do you need to go next?"

"Um," I looked at my schedule. "Mr. Thomas's science class."

"Oh, right," she said, giving a short laugh. "I'm so stupid, I already looked earlier. Anyway, we need to go up to the second floor of this building, and since this is the basement level..."

"We need to go up two levels?" I asked dumbly, to which I received a nod and a grin.

"Somebody knows a little math."

"Yeah, that's about all I know."

She laughed, a very, very nice sound, before she broke out in a fast-paced walk, still holding my hand, stringing me along like a puppy at the end of my leash up the two flights of stairs ahead of us.

"So, what's this about people disliking you?" I asked her as we rounded a corner. Her gaze became a little tenser before she looked at me seriously, still pulling me along, walking backwards.

"I kind of come from a... um... abusive family," she said, the last part coming out as one word. I looked her over, and for the first time noticed that her limbs were wrapped in bandages and gauze.

"Oh," I said, thinking of the School. "I know how that is."

"I thought your parents were missionaries?" she said, and before I could ask where she heard that, she added "Your older sister told me."

"That's only after I was adopted," I said, thinking up the lie to go along with the first lie quickly. "My first family was kind of... well, let's just say I'm kind of scarred in more ways than one."

"My family has a habit of telling me how worthless I am," she said, cocking an eyebrow. "You didn't have it that bad, right?"

"Only with the occasional beating," I said, remembering the erasers that had constantly assaulted me when I was younger. "I've been down that road. I usually don't talk about it because, A, I don't really want pity, and B-"

"People don't care anyway," she finished, looking at me strangely.

"Yeah," I said, my look mirroring hers. "How'd you guess?"

"Looks like we've been down similar roads," she said as we made one last turn. "Anyway, we're here, so I'll see you later."

"Oh," I said with a little disappointment. "Yeah. Later."

3-3-3-3-3

The rest of the day went like that, us meeting up and talking before she led me to my next class, until the end of the day, when I met up with the flock and pack at the school courtyard. We were on our way home shortly after, Max scolding Iggy and Gazzy about something, but I didn't really notice. I was to busy thinking about Christy.

_Such beauty mine eyes are not worthy of, _I thought dreamily. _At last, I've found the world's most perfect being!_

I'd heard that there was a breed of demon born with beauty that they used to entrance other people before killing them called a succubus. She could've been that, but I wouldn't have cared. Besides, who believed in demons these days anyways?

"Nick?" Max said, waving her hand in front of my face. "This is planet Earth, do you copy?"

"Roger that," I said without looking at her. "I am currently orbiting the planet and am preparing for landing."

"Nick."

"Oh!" I said as I snapped back to reality. "Yeah, what's up, Max?" She sighed in exasperation before saying

"I was asking you if these two should be allowed to leave stink bombs in the bathroom." She pointed at Gazzy and Iggy, and I stared at them.

"You guys put a stink bomb in the bathroom?" I asked before breaking out into a laughing fit. I looked at Max's face however, and froze.

"That, um... is a laughably bad thing to do?" I tried, wiping tears of laughter away from my eyes.

"Nick," Max said, looking at me. "We've been talking about this since we left school. You're just now noticing?"

"He was preoccupied," Sara said, walking next to me with her hands behind her head. "He was thinking about sucky busses."

"Sucky... busses?" Fang said, sending me a strange look.

"Erm, yeah," I said, shrugging and putting on a fake smile. "I'm glad that we don't have to ride those sucky busses. Walking is much better."

"Tell me about it," Nudge said, shivering. "Ugh. So many gross people, doing stupid things. It just isn't cool."

"I know, right?" I said, glad I'd dodged that bullet. "So, Sara, how was school today?"

"Okay, I guess," she said, shrugging, turning her head away from me.

"You aren't gonna tell him what happened?" Angel asked mischievously. Sara shot her a meaningful, pleading look.

"What happened?" Gazzy piped up.

"Angel, no," Kimmy said, looking at Angel with an upset look.

"Don't be mean," Kiki said, mimicking her sister's stance.

"Something bad happen?" I asked, looking at her seriously. "If somebody hurt you, I swear, I'll-"

"No!" Sara said, looking up at me. "Thanks for worrying, but it's nothing like that."

"She jumped right off the carpet when she heard that we needed to use erasers," Angel said with an innocent smile.

Silence fell over us before Iggy snorted and started laughing, the others, excluding Camo and Espio, soon to follow. Sara's normally pale face turned beet red.

"It isn't funny!" she said, glaring at everybody. "I thought that Miss Plum meant-"

"We know what you thought," Max said, her laughs dying down. "I'm sorry, that was mean." Apologies came out of the rest of us soon afterward, and Sara nodded, hiding behind me. Out came the little Sara I remembered just then, not the independent one she'd been lately. I knelt down and tousled her chocolaty hair, to which I received a huge grin from Sara.

3-3-3-3-3

Anne wasn't happy when we got home. She did however, note that the pack's rooms were all done, pointing down a new hallway.

"You can go check them out and order furniture online after we discuss your behavior," she said. "Come into the kitchen. There's hot chocolate and cookies."

I shrugged my shoulders and did what I was told, listening to a short lecture and some sort of tender moment between Max and Anne before I went outside to meet my wolf pack.

"Guys, I've been thinking," I said in their language. "You're all going to need a new Alpha starting today." I'd morphed so that I could appear to be "amongst them," and have a serious conversation.

"But why?" One asked me, cocking its head. "I don't understand."

"Well, I'm not going to be here very often except for two moons a week," I explained. "And you guys need somebody who can lead you on your hunts when I'm away. Set yourselves some territory, and then have at whatever you can find."

"Why will you be absent?" Another one asked, one of the only two females out of the six.

"Well," I said, stretching out my forelegs. "Our human friends are expecting me to attend a gathering five moons a week, for about a quarter moon per moon. If I turn them down, people will become upset with me. I have responsibilities that I must attend to. You're all very important to me, but so are my human friends. I promise to be present when I can."

"Alright," they agreed warily. "We will elect an alpha tonight."

"Great. Thanks for understanding, you all," I said with a wolfish smile before returning to the inside of the house and coming out of my morph, fully clothed. I don't know how I did it, but I did it every time.

"Hey Nick," Max said, smiling at me as I walked towards my new room. "You want to help us with something before you go to sleep tonight?"

"You mean looking for each other's old addresses?" I asked simply, surprising her.

"How did you-"

"Mind reading, Max," I told her "When I'm not dreaming, I pick up on thoughts in my sleep. But sure, I'd like to come."

"I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner," she said, looking at me. "I figured you wouldn't care-"

"Because I have no past?" I asked her coldly. "Because you found no papers on me? I'm an eraser, so they wouldn't have made papers anyway."

I thought about what I was saying before I shook my head with a short laugh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound... well, mean. I'm not mad at you. I just..." I trailed off, and Max nodded her understanding.

"You wish they hadn't treated you so badly."

"Yeah."

"Well... let's get the others and go."

"Yeah, I'm ready to fly."

3-3-3-3-3

The night ended rather unsuccessfully as far as the search went, but I was tired enough to go to sleep anyways. When I woke up in the morning I went to school with the flock and non-wolf pack, and I met up with Christina again. We talked, we walked to class, pretty monotonous day, all and all. But I got to see her, so I was happy.

After school, Max seemed bothered by something, but I figured it was best not to intrude on her thoughts. She was glaring holes into the back f Fang's head though, and it made me feel kind of... I dunno, uncomfortable.

_Maybe just a little peek... _I thought, readying myself to read her mind before I froze and shouted "Look out!"

A van tore through the woods beside us, and we all leapt back just in time.

"Want a ride, kids?" an eraser in the passenger seat who hadn't morphed yet.

"What, no candy?" Max snarled before her eyes fell on the eraser driving the van.

Dang it, Ari just couldn't stay down, could he?

"Showtime folks!" Ari said, jumping out of the van. "Max is mine!"

"Heh, real cute," I said, seeing that there were only Ari and six other erasers. "You're still sending in the little guys, and you're outnumbered. What are you thinking?"

"There's more "little guys" than you think," Ari said, before a few more vans came out, making about four rings of vans around us all. Still, seven times maybe twenty-four was only like... a hundred sixty-eight. We could take 'em.

"Happy now?" Fang grumbled to Max, getting ready for a fight.

"Yeah," Max said with a small smile. "This is just more... me, somehow."

3-3-3-3-3

Eventually we returned to Anne's house after a hard-fought battle. The erasers had been stronger than usual this time, and I'd been a little surprised. They seemed to have developed some sort of immunity to electricity, and Nick couldn't really burn them without taking out the whole forest. When he'd tried to freeze them or blow them away, they just broke out or pushed through. It was annoying for him, I could tell, but he'd resorted to brute force like us eventually.

The fight went kind of fast after we figured out they were stronger than usual, even though we were kind of surrounded. Nick and the others were fighting against the random soldier erasers, while I squared off against Ari.

"Cute uniform. It's a good look for you."

"Where'd you get those wings? Wall-Mart?" Ari and I traded jibes.

The other erasers were already running back for their vans, and Ari, realizing this, growled in frustration.

"Next time we'll eat the little ones. I hear they taste like chicken," he sent out one final jab.

I growled at him before lunging towards him. He stepped to the side and swung at me before I dodged him and hit him with a running side kick, both feet ramming hard against his ribs.

...

A.N. This really isn't my story at all...

"How many times do I have to kill you? Rough estimate."

He glared at me with fiery hatred in his eyes before he stood up and said "Point to you this time. But you have no hope of winning. I'm just playing with you, like a cat with a-"

"VAAANDOUKEN!" Nick shouted suddenly as he stepped in and swung Ari's van at him, knocking him... meh, a couple miles away. I stared at him, dumbstruck, before he set the van down and said "He was getting on my nerves."

"Okay then," I said, blinking.

"By the way, you guys," Nick said. "Am I the only one that just saw Max leaving in one of those vans?"

"What?" I asked him as we all regrouped. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Nick said, shrugging. "I thought I saw your hair leaping into a van and slamming the door shut just before the last one left.

None of the erasers had long streaked hair like mine.


	13. Chapter 13

I left for a month and lost my viewers... oh well, next chappie. Votes for song are still for the one in the last chapter.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 13

"Vandouken," Gazzy chuckled under his breath as the flock and pack walked into Anne's house to the smell of popcorn. "All hail the American Ryu."

"What happened to you guys?" Anne cried.

"We got erased at school," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders. "No biggie."

"Those wankers," Total muttered when Angel picked him up.

"Erased?" Anne asked, confused. "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"No, it wasn't at school. We were attacked by erasers," Max said. "Kind of a routine thing."

"What are erasers?" Anne asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Human-lupine hybrids," Max said, pointing in Nick's general direction. "Like Matthew."

"Rabbits?"

"No, that's lapin," Max said with a giggle. "Or more correctly, leporid. Not lupine."

"Oh. Wolves," Anne said with understanding.

"Give the lady a prize."

"Get cleaned up, then come into the kitchen for your snack," Anne said, looking pointedly at all of their dirty limbs. She then turned towards the new hallway and shouted, "That means you too, Matt!"

There was no answer as the youths turned to see that their eraser friend was absent amongst them.

"Matt?" Anne called. "How's it lookin' over there, soldier?"

"Looks pretty good, sarge," Nick called back. "I mean, c'mon, there's no way you could have given me a clearer post."

"Matthew!"

"Oh!" Nick gave a startled cry before running out of his new room and skidding to a halt in front of them. "What's up?"

"You disappeared before I could tell you to clean up," Anne said with her hands on her hips. "What world were you on?"

"Earth. Why?" Nick asked, staring blankly at his caretaker.

"That was actually a rhetorical question..."

"Well, you got a rhetorical answer."

Iggy snorted, looking right at Fang and making a gesture like "Is this guy for real?" Fang shook his head, staring at Nick strangely.

"Are you feeling alright, man?" Fang piped up, and Nick's looked over to him with a smile.

"Better than I have in my whole life, Nick."

"Okay then..." Fang said with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Anyways, I'm not really all that hungry," Nick said, yawning. "I'm off to bed, if nobody minds."

"Really?" Anne asked with surprise. "Well, I suppose..."

"Great. Later!" Nick said before he went back to his room.

"Something's up..." Max said, watching Nick go. "Matt eats more than any one of us, and we only had small meals today..."

"Something's probably eating him," Sara said, looking up at the eldest of the flock.

"What could be?" Espio asked seriously. "He's at the top of the food chain."

Everybody erupted with laughter other than the two Japanese twins after that.

"Did you mean something else?" Camo asked on behalf of his brother.

"I think she meant that something's bothering him," Angel said. "NBut it's weird- I can't-"

Max looked at her pointedly before she silenced herself and sent out the thought to everybody but Anne.

_I can't read his mind._

_Is he blocking you out or something?_ Max asked her in thought.

_No, I just can't read him for some reason._

"Well," Max said after clearing her throat. "We'll go clean ourselves up and then meet in the kitchen. Sound good?"

A chorus of 'yeahs' or grunts of approval rung out as the flock and pack made a line for the bathroom. Max, however, slipped passed them to get to Nick's room.

3-3-3-3-3

"Matt?" I said as I knocked on Nick's door. "It's me, Max. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Nick said from the inside of the room. I pulled the door open and walked in to see Nick grinning from ear to ear and staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, you're sure happy about something," Max said, raising an eyebrown with a small smile. "What's up?"

"Ceiling... clouds... Angels... of course, there are a few of those here on Earth too," Nick said, looking towards me.

"Aw," I said in mock modesty. "You don't mean that."

"Sure I do," Nick said. "I met one yesterday, after all." Then I realized with a little embarrassment that he wasn't talking about me.

"Do tell," I said with peaked interest.

"Do tell about what?" Nick asked, looking over to me again.

"You said you met an Angel yesterday," I said, confused. "What did you mean by that?"

"Weeeell..."

"Spill it."

"There's this girl," he started, grinning up at the ceiling again. "I think you've met her. Christina."

"Brown hair?" I asked, not having much to go on.

"Yup," Nick said, and I swear his eyes twinkled. "I like her." I then lost him to his little trance again, and I had to walk over to his bedside and snap in front of his face to snap him out of it.

Then, something clicked. Nick was lovesick. He'd been thinking about this girl for a couple of days now...

"That girl's the reason you've been acting so out of it?" I asked him with disbelief.

"Out of it?"

"You haven't paid attention to what any of us have been saying; you've got this kind of creepy grin pasted to your face- and you've been thinking about sucky busses?"

"Um, yeaaah," Nick whispered. "There's a little bit of story behind that, actually."

"It doesn't really matter," I said, rapidly shaking my head. "What matters is that you need to drop it," I told him forcefully, to which he gave me a stunned look.

"Drop-"

"We're leaving soon, Nick," I said in a whisper. "She's a regular schoolgirl. If you get attached, it'll be harder for you to leave. It's great that you're happy, Nick, But we aren't going to be here permanently."

Nick's shock was evident before he rolled onto his side, avoiding my gaze.

"Nick?"

"I know," he said in a crestfallen voice. "You're right. I'll... do something." Oh no.

"Good," I said, patting his arm. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said with a dry laugh. "It's my own fault for getting involved." He then rolled onto his stomach, his face on his pillow. I left without another word, worried about him.


	14. Chapter 14

Theanimedude: Yay! My people are back! That makes me happy.

Fng: ...

Nick:: Um...

Theanimedude: Right, sorry. Disclaimer!

Fang: Whoa whoa whoa, you aren't going to have us do something stupid?

Theanimedude: No. Why?

Fang: Well, you do every other chapter.

Nick: Yeah...

Theanimedujde: So I'm guessing you LIKE doing stupid things?

Fang and Nick: ...

Theanimedude: Alright, you've convinced me.

Fang: Wait, nonononono-

Nick: Aw, crap.

Theanimedude: Okay, I have an idea... (starts typing)

Fang: (suddenly smiles in a goofy way) I feel like flying into a tree today! (runs outside, gets a running start and flies into a nearby evergreen tree)

Fang: (acting like himself again) Oh, I'm gonna kill you! (Dashes at Theanimedude)

Theanimedude: No thanks. (starts typing) (ginormous dragon appears out of nowhere)

Fang: Oh my- How?!

Theanimedude: THE KEYS ARE MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD! (Holds up keyboard triumphantly)

Nick: I think I'm the only sane one right now... which is new.

Fang: AH! IT BURNS!

Theanimedude: BWAHAHAHAHA!

Nick: ... Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: ...

Nick: What is it?

Theanimedude: I killed Fang.

Nick: O8.

Nick the Eraser chapter 14

The next few days kind of passed as a blur. I went to school with the others, saw Christina and came back to Anne's house, where I would promptly throw myself into bed without a word. There was a time when Gazzy and Iggy set off the fire alarm again, and we got grounded. I didn't really care. I only ate at school, so the loss of dessert privileges didn't hurt too much.

After that, it was decided that we'd stay until Thanksgiving if nobody else messed up. So then I knew how limited my days were.

Every so often somebody would come in and I'd tell them I was fine, or no, I wasn't hungry, or yes, the problem was dealt with.

Was it? Heck no, why do you think I'd cut myself off from everybody I trusted? ... And Total. I cut myself off from him too.

Then, one night, Max came into my room and sat on my bed next to me. I looked over to her and offered a blank smile.

"Hey," she said, reaching for my hand. "We're eating hot dogs tonight. Wanna reintroduce yourself to Anne and the others?"

"Nah, I'm fine," I whispered in a scratchy voice before clearing my throat. "Not hungry."

"I'm sorry, what?" Max said, her eyes widening. "HOT DOGS. Nick, come on, get up."

"Is one of the hot dogs Total?" I asked her with fake hope. "No? Then no thanks."

"Big brother?" sounded the unmistakable voice of Sara, peering through the crack in between the wall and the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I said, looking over to the door. "Come on in, Sara."

She pushed the door open gently and walked in, all worried and sad.

"Not even hot dogs?" she asked Max, looking up at her.

"Not even hot dogs," Max confirmed. "He's being stubborn."

"What I'm being is disturbed," I said, rolling onto my stomach, away from Max. "Do you need anything else?"

"Big brother, we miss you," Sara said, and I heard her climbing herself up onto the bed. "We all do. Anne wants to call a doctor, Kiki and Kimmy are always freaking out over you, and even Yin and Yang seem upset."

"Yoo mid up thit lass fart," I said, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"What?"

"You made up that last part," I repeated, lifting my head. "Yin and Yang are probably fine."

"Well, I can say for certain that we're worried about you," Max said, looking down at me. "Jeff hasn't made a bomb for days, Zephyr hasn't said a word, Krystal's no better, Nick... well, Nick's worried too, but he just doesn't really show it. And Angel can't read your mind these days."

"Well, maybe she isn't trying hard enough," I said dismissively.

"Nick," Max said in a serious tone. "I'm sorry that things aren't going to work out between you two. But we can't fix it. Please come out, Matt. People who love you are out there."

"..."

"Fine. Stay in bed. Come on, Sara, let's go out and eat with the others."

I heard the shuffling of feet before Max turned around and said "Nick. Do you love me?"

"You mean Matt," I muttered. "I'm sure Nick loves you too."

"I mean you," Max said, staring at me.

"Of course."

"Then come down with us."

I laid there for a second before sighing and pushing myself up out of the covers and landing on the cold floor. "Alright, alright, I'm coming."

3-3-3-3-3

"Well, look who's back in the world of the living," Fang said, looking over to me with a smirk.

"Yeah," I said as all eyes turned to me as Max, Sara and I entered the living room. "The sucky busses from the next world say hi."

"Matt!" a large amount of cheers rang out as I was suddenly tackled to the ground by Gazzy, Angel, Kiki, Kimmy, and Nudge.

"I'm so glad you're back!"

"I thought you were gonna stay in there forever!"

"ZOMG-"

I smiled and tuned the rest out, hugging all of them the best I could before pushing myself up.

"Aw, come on, you weren't that worried, were you?" I asked.

"Yes!"

"Well then, I'm sorry," I said, laughing a little bit.

"Matt's up?" Anne asked as she walked in from the kitchen. "Good timing too- Jeff just finished grilling the hot dogs."

"Woohoo!" almost everybody chorused as Ig walked in with a platter about the size of the Eiffel tower loaded with hot dogs.

We all dug in, eating like deprived mutant youths until not a single dog remained.

"How was dinner, Matt?" Iggy asked me with a grin.

"Ah, c'était délicieux!" I said before stifling a belch.

"Is that all you've got?" Gazzy asked mischievously before letting out a long, low one.

"Amateurs," Iggy muttered before letting loose one that echoed down the halls.

"Oh, you see what you've started, Matt?" Fang asked, looking over to me.

"I'll end it too," I said before Max slapped her hand over my mouth.

"Don't," she said, giving me a threatening look.

"Aw," I said with a pout, looking down at the floor.

"In any case, we're glad to have you back, Matt," Max said, smiling now.

"Yeah?" I said. "Well, I'm glad to hear it."

3-3-3-3-3

The next day, I made the decision to tell Christy I was leaving. At the end of the day, we met up so that we could say good bye before we went home.

"I've got something I need to tell you," I whispered, and she looked over to me as we walked.

"What is it?" she asked me with a glorious smile.

"Our parents are coming back soon," I said, looking her in the eye. "They'll probably have us go somewhere else."

"Your parents...?" she said before it dawned on her. "Oh. The missionaries..."

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "I don't want to leave, but Ms. Walker won't be having us much longer."

"Man," she whispered, looking down at the floor. "That sucks."

"For you or for me?" I asked, and she looked up at me, eyes gleaming. "I think it's for both of us."

"Yeah," she said, shaking her head. "You know, you're important to me. I hate to see you leave."

"Well, they're getting back around Thanksgiving," I said. "We've got some time left. Let's make it good."

"Okay."

"I have an idea," I said with a small smile. "Name something you want to do. I can make it happen. Heck, ask me to get you the moon, I'll do it."

"You'd do that?" she asked, her lips slowly curving upward. I made a mock thinking face before nodding.

"Anything."

"Well," she said after some thought. "I've always wanted to go to the movies."

"Sure you don't want the moon?" I asked her with a scared look.

"Yes," she laughed. She'd known I was being sarcastic. "I just want to go see a movie."

"I think I can manage that," I said.

"So it's a date?" she asked.

"Date?" I echoed.

"Oh, um," she looked away, blushing. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"If you want it to be," I said, and I'm sure I sounded a little hopeful, because she looked back at me with some surprise.

"I do," she whispered. "When?"

"Is tonight okay?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Then I'll see you at maybe... six?"

"Perfect."

"Alright. See you then."

"Yeah..."

I turned with some hesitation to leave just before she whispered my name. I turned back to look at her.

"Thank you," she said, before walking up to me and giving me a hug. I swear my heart stopped.

"Bye," she whispered. And then she was gone. That girl could run. I smiled after her retreating form before turning back to meet up with the flock and the pack.

3-3-3-3-3

"You what?" Iggy burst out.

"I got asked out on a date," Max repeated, not without some reaction of surprise from the rest of us.

"Oh, Max!" Nudge half said, half squealed.

"You're kidding," Gazzy said, laughing with his mouth full. "What a loser! What'd he say when you shot him down?"

Max cut at her steak, and when she didn't immediately say what he said, I stopped looking down at my food.

"You said yes, didn't you?" Nudge asked.

"Congrats Max," I said, not looking at Fang, knowing he'd be pretty mad. "You deserve it."

"I-"

"Makes me feel less guilty," I cut her off, smiling before I stood up and put my plate in the sink.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked me, watching me go.

"Oh, nothing," I said, looking at Fang and sending him a quick thought. "I need to go get ready."

"Ready for what?" Anne asked me.

"Mine," I said, walking to my room.

"His...?" I heard Nudge ask. Nobody answered.

A few minutes later, Fang walked into my room. "I'm here, like you asked," he said.

"Cool. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Um... you wanted to talk to me."

"Because I know you don't talk much to anybody but Max and I, and what you want to say you aren't going to say to her," I responded.

"... Hm."

"Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are," Fang said, leaning sideways against a wall.

"So what is it you want to say?"

"I'm losing her," Fang said seriously, looking over to me. "She's going to somebody else."

"You kind of deserve it after you've been with that redheaded bird," I said, leaning my head back onto my pillow.

"Max was the one to kiss me first. I feel betrayed."

"And after which betrayal did you kiss Lissa?"

"Look," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "You called me in here so I could talk to you, and you're taking her side?"

"Alright, alright," I said, raising my hands. "How much longer are we going to be staying here?"

"Not much."

"So, do you think Max is going to keep dating this Sam guy with us leaving?"

" ... No."

"So Max is probably just doing this to get revenge, fluster you," I suggested. "She's not gonna stay with this guy."

"I'll get her back for this, somehow," he muttered.

"No," I said. "Fang, I may not know much about relationships, But here's something I do know. If you guys are constantly backstabbing each other, what are you going to accomplish? You can't get her back for everything she does when you deserve it. If you don't want to lose your chances of being with her, let alone jeopardize us all with your constant quarreling, you need to show her that you're mature enough to not focus on revenge."

"... You're right."

"Of course I am. You're talking to the Tundra here."

A knock came from my door and Max's voice came through. "Matt? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Mister Tall, Dark and Stupid and I just finished," I said, smirking at Fang.

"Oh whatever, mutt," Fang said as he walked out, his smirk mirroring mine.

Max walked past Max and towards me, closing the door on the way in.

"Are you insane?" she asked me, suddenly livid.

"Certifiably."

"Why would you ask her out on a date when you're about to leave her?" she asked me.

"What do you call what you're doing?"

"I- look, that doesn't matter now!"

"She knows that our parents are going to be back soon," I said, looking at her. "I want to make our last night our best nights. As for you-" I smiled before looking down and laughing. "Well, don't be surprised if you wake up after tonight with your hair green, only to find out Fang's the culprit."

"... You're right," Max said, to my surprise. "I hate to admit it, but... What was I thinking?"

"When you accepted his invitation?"

"Yes, Matt."

"You probably wanted revenge on Fang for being with that redheaded bird."

"Bird?"

"Chick, girl, lady, take your pick. Or, as you call her, the Red-haired Wonder."

"How did you-"

"Max. I can read minds, and I can read yours especially well."

"Right."

"So, are you done scolding me, or is there more?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I'm losing him, Matt."

_Oh boy, here we go again... _I thought with exasperation.

3-3-3-3-3

Origin of the beast! Please read and review!


	15. Chapter 15

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 15

"Whoa," I said with a low-pitched whistle. "I'm a lucky guy."

There she was, the most beautiful girl in the world, wearing the most amazing clothes in the world. Well, I say that, but anything was better than a school uniform. She was wearing blue denim shorts and a red t-shirt. Simple out fit, but amazing on her nonetheless.

"I give it... 10/10," I said, with my hand on my chin.

"Oh, stop," Christy laughed, pushing me.

"No really, I was convinced you were an angel the first time I saw you," I said.

"And now?"

"Pretty sure you still are."

"Quit!" she laughed again. "You're embarrassing me."

"But if course, milady," I said, offering my arm, which she took with another glorious laugh.

"Alright, do you know where the theater is?" I asked her. We'd met up back at the school, because we both knew where it was. The movie theater, though...

"I-I thought you would," she said sheepishly. "I figured, you know..."

"I knew where we were going?" I asked, just as sheepishly. "Sorry. No dice."

"So what now?" she asked, hugging herself in the cold November air. It was freezing outside. She hadn't exactly dressed appropriately, even if she did look like a goddess.

I smiled before shrugging myself out of my jacket and putting it over her shoulders, making her blush profusely.

"I guess we ask some stranger for directions," I said with a casual shrug.

"Um..." Christy looked a little panicked at my suggestion.

"I'm kidding," I chuckled. "I know what to do."

"Do you?"

"Yeah," I said with confidence. Geez, I'd feel stupid if this didn't work.

_Voice? Any fortune cookie suggestions?_

**THE THEATER IS NORTH OF YOUR POSITION.**

Crap.

_Merciless!_

**YUP?**

_What are you doing! This is a really important night to me!_

**DON'T WORRY, I WON'T INTERFERE.**

Odd. The Merciless seemed so casual tonight.

_I don't trust you._

**YOU SHOULD, NICK. AFTER ALL, NOT TRUSTING ME IS THE SAME AS NOT TRUSTING YOURSELF.**

"Matt?" Christy's voice broke me out of my trance, and I smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" she asked me, looking at me oddly and pulling my jacket around her. "You just turned pale."

"I'm fine, don't worry," I reassured. "You know what? I forgot that my sister told me where the movie theater is the other day. Let's go."

"Alright," she said, eyeing me oddly and following me.

_If you're lying about this, I'll have to... kill you._

**IT'S THE TRUTH. NOW, LET ME SLEEP.**

The way its voice sounded do serious, and lacked malevolence for once, made me believe it for some reason.

And then I realized something- the Merciless hadn't attacked anything, or even remotely taken over my body for weeks, almost months. It probably wouldn't any time soon.

But why not tonight?

3-3-3-3-3

"Nice movie," Christy said with a yawn as we walked out.

"Was it bad?" I asked her, worried that I'd messed up. "I could've taken you to another one, but-"

"I loved it," she said, grinning and laughing a little. "I'm just a little tired."

I sighed with relief. This was some sort of action movie we'd seen, didn't really impress me, but I guess she must've enjoyed it.

"It **is **a little late," I said, looking at the clock above the movie roster. "

Should I take you home?"

"No!" she almost shouted, before blushing and grabbing onto my hand. "I want to... stay with you a little longer."

"Really?" I asked her, a little surprised. "Alright, I'm yours. What do you want to do?"

She said nothing, but stared past me. I turned around to see what she was looking at to see an ice cream place.

"Is that where you want to-"

"No," she choked out.

"I have the money."

"That's alright," she insisted. "Why don't we walk by the lake? I know where that is." She practically dragged me away from there, in such a hurry that I wondered if she was running from something.

Or someone.

"Is everything alright?" I asked her. "You seem... stressed, or worried, or something."

"Everything's great," she whispered. "I just have a curfew."

"Well then we'd better hurry," I said, running alongside her with a smirk. "I'll beat ya there!"

"Fat chance," she said with a grin, before dashing past me so quickly I had trouble keeping my eyes on her. That girl could RUN!

3-3-3-3-3

Eventually, we reached the lake, where she was waiting with a triumphant smirk next to a tree.

"Man," I panted, bending down with my hands on my knees. "Where'd you learn to run like that?"

"Been running all my life," she laughed. "It's one of the best things in the world."

"Oh really?" I asked her. "And just what is the best thing in the world, speed demon?"

"Flying."

Wait... what?"

"One time," she continued. "I was in an airplane with some of my old friends. We watched the world go by out the windows. The clouds just passed right by us until we were over them. I'd love to be able to touch a cloud."

"It's probably not that great," I said. "I mean, they are water, and they're pretty cold, so..."

"I don't like people who say such things," Christy pouted.

"Sorry. I'm sure it'd be great."

"But after that," she whispered, looking down at the ground. "Things got really bad. The plane landed, and I was kicked out of it. I looked up to see that it was an orphanage."

"Oh, geez..."

"My friends flew away on that plane, off to other orphanages, and I haven't seen them since. The orphanage was the worst place in the world. They only fed me when they had to; they beat me if I did something they didn't like..."

She hiccupped, and I walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off.

"About ten months ago, I ran away. But they caught me and brought me back. So I ran away again." She sobbed, rubbing her eyes. "They've caught me seven times now. And right now I'm out."

"Chri-"

"I'm not going back!" she yelled, punching a tree. "They can't make me go back ever again!" Tears were streaming down her face.

"Hey," I whispered, walking to her side, taking the hand she'd punched the tree with. "You're bleeding." I took her hand in mine, rubbing the top of it with my thumb.

"I just wish," she sobbed, looking away from me, but leaving her hand in my grasp. "That I could have flown forever in that plane, and never have to go to that orphanage to begin with. I wish I could now."

I held her hand gently, squeezing it to let her know I was still there. "You don't have to go back," I said. "Nobody can make you."

"But they can," she said, sounding broken and tired. "They always do. And I can't stop them, because I'm a worthless, weak, stupid girl."

"Hey," I said, and she turned to me. "You take that back! You're smart enough to keep away from them and make them have to look for you! You're strong enough to keep running away, no matter how many times they get you! And you're worth more than anything in the world to me!" I shouted at the end.

"You aren't worthless. You aren't weak. You aren't stupid. You've got more worth, strength, and smarts than anybody could ask for. You're a wonderful person. Don't let the words of a group of moronic piles of crap make you think otherwise."

She stared at me, tears suspended on her cheeks, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Okay," she said in a hushed voice. "I take it back."

"Good," I said, moving my thumb away from her hand. "Look. No more bleeding." I'd healed her hand while I was talking to her.

"Oh."

"Now, we came here to walk together under the moonlit sky and over the pitch black sea," I said. "That's exactly what we're going to do."

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's go," I said, holding her hand and walking alongside her.

"Hey Matt?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

And then she walked up to me, and wrapped her arms around my lower back, just below my wings. That was close.

She stood up on her tiptoes and moved her mouth towards mine, and I felt my heart beating at a thousand miles a minute. I hesitated before I wrapped my own arms around her and leaning down to have our lips meet.

When they did, her wings fluttered under the jacket I'd leant her.


	16. Chapter 16

Nick: YOU FREAKING KILLED FANG!

Theanimedude: I know, I know!

Nick: What the heck!

Theanimedude: He started it...

Nick: No, you did! You made him fly into a tree!

Theanimedude: Yeah, I remember. I was there.

Nick: Bring him back!

Theanimedude: ... No.

Nick: What? Why not?

Theanimedude: I'm just gonna have to kill him again.

Nick: I will break your keyboard.

Theanimedude: I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Nick: Why not?

Theanimedude: A, because then I couldn't bring Fang back if I wanted to, and B, because you'd cease to exist.

Nick: ...

Theanimedude: Da keyboard haz da powah!

Nick: ... Disclaimer?

Theanimedude: Yeah.

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: I think I'll bring Fang back now...

Nick: What? Why?

Theanimedude: Things are boring here without him...

Nick: ...

Theanimedude: By the way, I've decided: have any of you seen my Ask the Flock fanfiction? If you have, good. Most of you know I haven't updated it for months.

So, here's my plan- you guys ask questions there, and I'll answer them in these author's notes. I figure this way, I'll have enough questions to answer on every chapter for, say, the rest if my fanficcing days.

But now, here's the next chapter!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 16

I froze, even through the electric shock that went through me as we kissed.

_I must be imagining things, _I thought. I held her closer and dug my hand into the jacket, and- sure enough- the unmistakable fluttering of wings came against my hand.

The only time I'd ever felt that feeling was when I'd held and comforted Max back at the hospital. No way could I forget something like that. My desire to be near her evaporated.

"Christy," I whispered, taken aback as I backed away. "You..."

"What?" she asked, her eyes glazed over in pleasure.

"You have... wings?"

She stared at me, uncomprehending, before her eyes widened and she stepped backwards.

"Oh no..." she whispered. "You..."

"Chri-"

"Don't come near me!" she shouted, turning away from me. "Stay away. I'm not the kind of person you want to be with." She took off, running away faster than even I could run.

3-3-3-3-3

The poor, broken girl ran away from the lake straight to the city, the wings that she tried so desperately to hide discovered, though still held tight against her back. She ran faster and faster, faster than she'd ever run before, hoping to leave it all behind, hoping to get away from it.

Of course she couldn't. This was her past, present, and future- mutant freak. No matter how badly she wished to be normal, she couldn't escape herself. She couldn't escape her captors, they always got her back. She could only run until she was caught. No way out. All she had was her fantasy of love with Matt. But now...

She turned into an alleyway, screeching to a halt and falling down onto her knees, wincing as she was cut by the glass from a broken beer bottle. She picked up what was left of it and hurled it into a wall, watching it shatter into a thousand shards.

"When is it going to end?" she asked herself, curling into the fetal position. "When can it just be over?"

"Right now," a low, grave voice said from behind her, making her jolt. She jumped up and turned to see an eraser, flanked by two others.

"I'm not going back," she said defiantly.

"I think you will," the eraser said evenly before hurling itself at her. But she was quick. She dodged right out of the way, snapping her foot to the back of his head in the same movement. She grabbed the next one that charged her by the shoulders, flipping herself over it before pushing off its back with her feet, propelling herself towards the last one in the process. She thrust her fist into its stomach, making it double over and landing before giving it a side kick to the top of its head. The three erasers were now rolling on the ground, groaning.

"Is that it?" she asked nobody in particular. "That was easy..."

"It's about to get a whole lot harder," another grave voice said from behind her.

Instinctively, she turned into a roundhouse kick, straight into one's jaw, before ducking under the next one's left hook. She dropped onto her hands, pushing backward and upward at the same time, using both feet to kick the next one. She faltered on her landing and was punched in the side, but she used the momentum to spin a punch into her assaulters face. The hits kept on coming, though, and she held out as long as she could.

Just when she thought she was winning, the fatigue settled in and left her vulnerable. An eraser grabbed her and threw her against a wall, making her wince in pain. She tried to push off, but she was trapped by an eraser's unmorphed hand closing around her throat.

"We're bringing you back to the school," it whispered in her ear. "And then they'll decide what to do with you." She struggled as her breath left her, flailing her legs and grabbing the firm hand around her neck, but to no avail. Her vision began to fog from tears as she slowly lost consciousness.

"Help," she whispered in a small, meek voice. But there was nobody to help. It was a prayer that couldn't be answered.

But then...

"You got it!" a familiar voice said suddenly. The hand around her throat loosened its grip before letting go altogether. Every one of the erasers was pressed up against the two walls of the alley.

She sucked in air as she struggled back up to her feet, her fogged vision clearing as she looked to see what could've come to help her.

"Matt?" she asked in a bewilderment.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "How you doing?"

"What the heck!" One of the erasers interrupted. "We were having a great time here, and then you come in and it all ends like that!"

"We aren't done here," another, burlier one growled. "We'll take both of them."

"Matt," Christina whispered. "Get out of here! You can't help me!"

"Sure I can," Matthew said, stretching his arms out as the erasers morphed. "There aren't too many."

"Matt, these guys are on a whole different league from you!" she shouted desperately.

"You got that right," he chuckled.

_What's with him? _She thought to herself. _He's so... confident._

"There's something I should tell you before we start this all up," Matt said, taking on a fighting stance similar to many of the erasers she'd seen. "My name's not Matthew."

"What?"

"It's Nick," he said, his eyes narrowing even while he smiled. "Nick Tundra!"

Her eyes widened in recognition. Nick Tundra? Wasn't that the name of the eraser who escaped to join a group of renegade mutants as they retreated from the school? She'd seen the place he'd run from. There had been massive holes in the walls, and the room for an advanced holding cell, the kind they'd used to hold an elephant, had been destroyed completely. And he was right here?

"Alright," he said, squaring off against the band of erasers in front of them. "Let's rock!"

The first eraser to come at him abruptly stopped and stood statue still. While he did this, the rest of the erasers crashed into him, landing in a gigantic pile of eraser mess. They then all lashed about wildly, taking each other apart. All the while, Nick walked over to Christy, helping her up.

"Why are they-?"

"I paralyzed one, and now they all think they're attacking me," he said simply, moving his hand around in a seemingly random motion.

"What are you doing?" she asked him before he pushed his hand into her torso and she felt an almost deadly chill. The chill quickly became nurturing warmth which made her sigh in contentment.

"There," Nick said with a smile. "Now, there are still plenty left, so we're going to have to work pretty hard. You ready?"

She didn't have time to answer before he sprang into a new pack of erasers, which had seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

She had to turn around and deliver a kick to one that had appeared behind her just as quickly, switching into battle mode.

Within a few minutes, there were only a few left, which they promptly had either knocked out or moaning.

"And then there were none," Nick said, dusting his hands off. "Great job, by the way."

"I can't believe it," Christy said, looking over to Nick, who seemed completely unscathed. "Are you really Nick Tundra?"

"Yup," he said, walking over to her with a smile. "And I'm guessing you're Wonder Woman?"

"No," she said, shaking her head and chuckling before she stopped. "But the Nick Tundra I've heard about had white hair. Yours is blonde."

"Oh," he said sheepishly. "It's dyed. My brothers turned it green on the first day of school."

"Your brothers?" she asked. "You mean the other mutants you escaped with?"

"Yeah," he said with a frown. "Thinking back, it would have been nice of me to break the rest out while I was at it. Hey wait a minute- how do you know about them?

"EVERYBODY that got away from the whitecoats knows about them!" she said with excitement. "You fought the school! You almost tore down an entire school when your only thought was getting your friends out of it! Imagine what you could do if you just wanted to destroy one!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, back up," Nick said, looking over to her with surprise. "Let me get everything together- you're an orphan."

She nodded.

"You weren't at an orphanage, you were at a school."

She nodded again.

"And you are against the whitecoats."

She nodded again.

"And you are beautiful."

She nodded before pausing to look at him. "Where did that come from?"

"I figured while I was stating a bunch of obvious facts..."

"Wait a minute," an eraser said on the ground, coughing. "You're against the whitecoats?"

"And you," Nick said, glaring over to it.

"No, wait," the eraser said, struggling to his feet. "You aren't WITH the whitecoats?"

"No," Christina said warily. "What are you getting at?"

"Oh, man," the eraser said. "I am so sorry. And all this time we've been chasing you thinking you were with them..."

"Wait, what?" Nick said in bewilderment.

"Guys!" the eraser said, turning around. "These guys aren't with the whitecoats! They're escapees!"

"Seriously?" another, female eraser asked in exasperation, standing. "Oh, come on!"

"That ain't right," another one said, also rising.

"What's going on?" Nick asked them, looking around with confusion.

"Buddy, we're on the same side," the first eraser to speak said. "Name's Rick. I'm one of the commanders of the Mutant Underground."

"Mutant Underground?"

"We're all a bunch of innocent people that the school got a hold of," Rick said, gesturing to the erasers around them. "And we all escaped."

"And you're the Mutant Underground because your goal is to undermine the school?" Christy asked with excitement.

"Well, kind of," Rick said with a nervous chuckle. "Come with us. I'll show you what I mean."

Nick and Christy looked at each other, shrugging before deciding to follow.


	17. Chapter 17

Theanimedude: Next chappie, mah loyail readahs! YoungPadawan Approved

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 17

So, Christy and I checked out this "Eraser Underground," and turns out it was a bunch of mutants without expiration dates living underground in a long network of caverns that could only be entered through a specific tree in the forest. And- like Christy said- their aim was to undermine the school, but they hadn't made much progress. Christy and I memorized the tree's location before heading home and saying goodbye to Rick. We promised we'd be back if we ever needed a place to crash.

I took Christy back to Ann's house that night, late enough that everybody was already asleep. I had her sleep on my bed and I put myself on the floor. So that's how that night went.

I woke up the next morning to a high-pitched scream. I moaned, trying to block out the sound and covering my ears.

"Who the heck are you?" Angel's voice still found its way to my ears somehow. "Max!"

I heard footsteps as Max rushed through the door, and she almost screamed as well when she saw Christy.

"Oh," she said. "Hi, Christina."

"Hi, um... Maxine?"

"Just Max."

"Okay..."

"Where's Ni- Matt?"

"Nick's right next to me," Christy said, and before she could show her what she meant, of course Fang was in and assuming the worst.

"Matt, you didn't sleep-"

"Heck no, Nick!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. "I just let her use my bed for the night!"

"You can stop using your fake names, I know about them," Christy said, smiling slightly.

"Nick," Max said, icicles dripping off her words. "This is what you call 'saying goodbye?' Inviting her in here unannounced and having her sleep in your bed?"

"That's the thing," I said with scalpel like delicateness, not wanting to send Max into a furious rage of any sort. "I don't think we'll be saying goodbye any time soon."

"And just what makes you think that? This is the second-last day of school before Thanksgiving break, you know."

"I know, it's just that... Christy, could you show her?" I asked, looking up at her as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Even this early in the morning she looked dazzling, her hair in a fritz, eyes half-lidded, if you've seen your girlfriend wake up you know what I mean. And then you realize that compared to usual, she's ugly right now. It makes you want the morning up right away just so you can see the beauty of a fully awake Christy, or insert girlfriend's name here.

"Sure," she said as she nodded, shoved aside the covers, stood up and stretched her limbs out- all six of them. They didn't quite fit in the room, and she frowned when the tips of her white, brown speckled wings touched the walls.

Needless to say, everybody in the room was astounded.

"Um," Fang stuttered. "Okay. That's... wow."

"Nick, may I talk to you in private?" Max asked me, and I willingly obliged, walking over to her, out of my room and into the empty hallway.

"Nick," she began patiently. "Has it occurred to you in the slightest that she might be a spy?"

"I can read minds, Max," I said, disregarding the suggestion entirely. "If she were a threat, I'd know."

"Hey Nick?" Christina said as she came into the hallway. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me right on the lips before saying very quietly "Thanks for letting me stay the night."

"No prob," I said, half dazed. "Go introduce yourself to Anne, alright?" she nodded, walking out of the hallway.

"Nick," Max looked at me seriously. "You don't want to...?"

"Bring her with us?" I asked hopefully.

"...Fine," Max muttered. "Just don't go and suck face in front of us, alright?"

"Okay. Where's Sara?"

"Right here," Sara said, strutting out of her room and jumping right up to my shoulders, giving me a bone-crushing hug. "Morning."

"Morning," I responded automatically, tousling her hair over my shoulder. "So... what's the plan for today?"

"Go to school, come home, repeat tomorrow," Max said, counting the steps on her fingers.

"Home?" I asked suspiciously.

"I mean here," Max said, blushing at the ground. I smile, leaving it at that before getting ready to go to school.

3-3-3-3-3

"Talent show?" Christy eyed me suspiciously. "I don't know..."

"It'll be fun," I urged her on. "Tomorrow night. You don't even have to register, its open mike."

"Still," she said, staring at the poster somebody had hung on the wall sometime between yesterday and now. "Nobody here really knows me that well- except for the ones that asked me out, and they know me in ways I don't really care to be known in."

"Hm?"

"If I shot them down, do you think they'll be over-eager to see me up on stage?"

"Hey, come on," I said. "I want to hear you sing. You have a beautiful voice."

She laughed gloriously, making my heart beat faster.

"Thanks, but-"

"I'll beg if I have to," I said, and she eyed me peculiarly.

"Matt-"

"Please!" I said, dropping onto one knee and bowing. "Please enter in the talent show, you divine, beautiful angel of-"

"Okay! Okay!" she said, blushing a deep shade of red. "I just... I've never sung in front of a large crowd of people before."

"And just because you've never done it means that you don't want to ever do it?"

"Well..."

"I've got something I know you've never done that I'd like to do when we get out of here," I whispered to her after leaning in towards her ear.

"What-"

"I'll show you later. Time for class!" I said, running off towards my first period.

3-3-3-3-3

"What did you want me to do?" Christy asked me, her brown hair done up in a braid. "All the way out here..."

I'd run a few miles with Christy (of course, she beat me to the place we were going) to an open grassy field that miraculously hadn't been spoiled by manmade creations.

"You'll see," I said, grabbing her around her waist. She looked at me with fear before she noticed the look in my eyes- and she grinned. She bent in to kiss me, but that wasn't what I was going for. I got behind her, grabbed her nearly weightless body again, and leapt upwards, beating my wings against the cold night.

She gasped as we flew through the air, and I couldn't see her face, though it was obvious she was having a great time. I eased through the air before rolling and flipping around, carrying her all the way, rewarding me with shrieks of elated laughter.

Eventually I landed, setting her down on her feet, shaking the rubbery feeling out of my legs. She smiled graciously- not to mention beautifully- at me, wrapping her arms around me.

"Now imagine being able to do that whenever you wanted to," I whispered, holding her close and lightly scratching the top of her right wing. She looked at me incredulously before the reality of what I was proposing sunk in.

"Are you going to teach me how to fly?"

"If that's what you want," I said, taking her hand. After all, you told me it was your dream to fly. Ready?"

"... Yes."

" Let's get started, then."

It didn't take long to get her flying like a pro, her eyes glinting with some sort of beauty I'd never seen, even from her. She looked so powerful, so majestic, she flew like an eagle, swooping down and then curving right back up into the air, enjoying the sport.

I flew over to her, taking her hand in mine, and she grinned famously.

"Hey," I whispered, and my serious tone made her pause, her wings still beating lightly.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Let me tell you, there's nothing like kissing while staying airborne. Take the most amazing feeling you've ever had and multiply it's fun-o-meter rating by a million and you might come close.

"I love you too," she said as she broke away, looking at me with the utmost endearment.

3-3-3-3-3

Of course we didn't tell Nick, he wasn't here. He was off somewhere with Christina. So we had no way of telling him of the walkie-talkie that had mysteriously appeared and had his voice coming through it.

We hear everything that was happening over there, the wind blowing, his girlfriend laughing, him giving her pointers, everything. And then there was that silence that came after the 'I love you' and had all of our youngest- that being Angel, Sara, Kimmy, and Kiki, asking what was going on.

We knew exactly what was going on- they were kissing. Hey, we'd asked them to do it where we couldn't see, we got what we asked for. I felt a small tinge of jealousy towards Nick- he had it all worked out. He had the person he loved wrapped around him- literally. He didn't have to sort things out like I'd need to when the time came.

But the walkie-talkie- where had it come from? Who gave it to us? And why was Nick on the other side?

An act of charity? Maybe Nick had secrets we needed to unearth? But that didn't explain who left it. We figured we'd let it happen as it happened, and hope nobody meant us any more harm than usual.


	18. Chapter 18

Theanimedude: Okay, the question was for Max this time. Nick, bring in the sister!

Nick: Max!

Max: What?

Theanimedude: From Pennycat11: If you had to kill Fang or Dylan, which would you pick?

Max: Dylan.

Fang: Phew!

Max: Fang second.

Nick: ... And then me, right?

Max: Yup.

Theanimedude: Disclaimer!

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: YoungPadawan approved!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 18

It was finally time for Christy's performance, and she was a nervous wreck. She was dressed in a high cut black dress that seemed to cling to her, and she was trying really hard not to hyperventilate- for more than one reason.

She'd only practiced the night before, and that was when Nick wasn't teaching her how to fly. She was still a little nervous about going on stage, too. And then there was the worst part- Nick wasn't there.

He'd promised to come. He was the reason she was doing this. And yet there she was backstage as parents cheered on their kids and boyfriends saw off their girlfriends and vice versa, but she was alone. Sure, Sara, Kimmy, Kiki, Camo and Espio were ut waiting for her, but they weren't Nick. She really wanted to call the whole thing off.

_Hey, Christy! _Nick's voice came to her.

_Nick! _She thought back to him, relieved. _Are you on your way?_

_Sure am. I'll be over at the school as soon as I can._

_Great. Oh, I'm so glad you're coming..._

_Why wouldn't I? Nothing's holding me back!_

_Don't jinx it!_

_Don't worry, everything will be just fi- AGH!_

_Nick!_

Dead silence.

_Nick! Nick, what happened?_

_N-Nothing, beautiful, I'll be there soon! Little hold up, but I promise I'll make it before you're done!_

Was that terror she heard in his thoughts?

_Is everything alright?_

_AGH! Perfect Chrisina, freaking perfect. I'll be there!_

Nick rarely came close to swearing- the worst she'd heard him resort to was crap.

Something was wrong.

_Christy, please, please just get on stage._

She nodded to herself and waited for her turn.

3-3-3-3-3

"Leave me alone!"

Nick's voice creamed out of the walkie-talkie, and we all looked at it immediately.

"Let go of me! I don't- I never!" he howled with pain, and I did something that probably wasn't wise. I pressed the button on the walkie-talkie.

"Nick! Where are you?" I screamed into it, but there was no answer. Just howl after howl of pain. Eventually it stopped, and a low, unsettling growl was all I heard come from the device. I saw everybody shiver involuntarily.

"That wasn't Nick's voice," Angel confirmed what I'd been thinking. "Who's was it?"

"Merciless," I said, staring at the walkie-talkie. "It's got him. We've gotta go find him."

"Now?" Angel asked, looking over to me.

"Now."

We took off as soon as we were outside, headed towards school. That's where he was supposed to be.

It didn't take long for us to see his figure, framed by that horrible crimson light, flying towards us.

"Everybody land!" I commanded when I saw Nick wave his arm. We dove faster than any of us ever had before, landing easily as dagger-sharp icicles skimmed right over our heads.

"Nick?" I said as he touched down a few feet away. His glowing red eyes locked onto mine, and I felt my blood go cold.

"Yeah Max?" he whispered huskily, suddenly beside me with one hand on the back of my head.

3-3-3-3-3

"...Cato," I growled as his elbow jabbed into my blocking arm, making it scream with pain, metaphorically, and having me holding it back before counter-striking with a kick to his stomach. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Man's best friend's about to get put down," he said, swinging his boot at my head. I nimbly dodged, grabbing his leg and diving down into a tree, using his body as an axe to chop it down. He snapped out of my hands automatically, barreling through the stump I'd left behind and slugging me in the face, catching me off guard with his durability and persistence.

"I'll just do what I did last time," I said, calling on the Merciless to wake up and help. I charged at him, meeting him head on and hurling him forward before moving to sink my claws through his chest. He jumped out of my reach faster than my eyes could follow- he was already ten feet in the air by the time I'd finished the thrust I'd launched.

"That little power up of yours slows you down," he said with a devilish grin. "And every time I fall I come back faster!"

I snarled, freezing him in the moisture in the air and moving in to shatter it, and him, with one solid punch, but he broke free easily, catching my fist and redirecting me into his waiting fist. He hit me square on the nose before I flew away, making a ball of fire like the one I'd made in those icy landscapes before, hurling it at him. It literally moved through him- rather he flew through it, before his kick caught me on the clavicle.

I tried to blow him backwards so I could regroup myself, but he just powered through, his saber-like fangs bared. I leapt flapped away as fast as I could before shooting a lightning bolt towards him- it bounced right off.

"What are you?" I asked bewilderedly.

"I'm a demon," he said with a horrible smile, lunging towards me.

3-3-3-3-3

"Here goes nothing," Christy said to herself, stepping out onto the stage and picking up the mike. A teacher walked out and Christy handed her a disc.

"Track 6," she whispered. The teacher nodded before walking up to the speaker system and sliding the disc in, configuring its buttons with fluid, practiced movements.

Christy scanned the crowd, but was unable to see her stalwart eraser man. She cursed under her breath as the music began to play slowly. She sucked in a breath before the music came to her, and the lyrics poured from her mouth smoothly and beautifully.

Where have all the good men gone  
And where are all the gods?  
Where's the street-wise Hercules  
To fight the rising odds?

3-3-3-3-3

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?  
Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

"Crap," I whispered as I heard Christy's first few lyrics come. I froze Cato, repetitively freezing the air around him before running for a window. I caught Christy's eye and waved before I was tackled from the side by Cato, who's claws ripped into my sides.

_Keep singing! _I thought/screamed to her.

I need a hero  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night  
He's gotta be strong  
And he's gotta be fast  
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

3-3-3-3-3

I dodged Nick's hand as it swept across where my head had been, and then instinctively swept his legs out from under him before Fang tackled him, ramming his elbow into his stomach. Nick didn't even flinch, instead he grinned like a madman and tossed Fang onto me before he turned his assault on the rest of the flock. All the while, the talent show went, sounding out of the east side of the school- with some rather fitting action music, I might add.

I need a hero  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light  
He's gotta be sure  
And it's gotta be soon  
And he's gotta be larger than life(larger than life)

3-3-3-3-3

I jumped over Cato's next slash, using the Merciless's strength to throw him to the ground, and as he rebounded I kicked him in the head.

Somewhere after midnight  
In my wildest fantasy  
Somewhere just beyond my reach  
There's someone reaching back for me  
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat  
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

I dodged his fist and repeated what I'd just done, but it was getting me nowhere!

_Crap crap crap, whaddo I do, whaddo I do, whaddo I do?_

3-3-3-3-3

Nick had already gotten most of us tired out, and he was still kicking our butts all over the place. It wasn't fun- no, it wasn't fun at all. Nick was now completely possessed by the Merciless- you could tell by his eyes and his crazed look. There was nothing left of him. Made me much less guilty about the crotch shot I resorted to, making him swear under his breath and giving us time to pile on top of him.

"My," he whispered. "Such love." And then, of course, he threw us all off of him. He flew high up in the air, and we all followed him.

"Man," I whispered. "Sure would be nice to have five extra hands right now!"

"Let them enjoy themselves," Fang told me with a snarl. "We'll kill Nick on our own!

3-3-3-3-3

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above  
Out where the lightning splits the sea  
I could swear that there's someone somewhere  
Watching me

I flew upwards,spinning in midair to make myself like a drill and shot down towards him, but I only succeeded in getting grabbed and being dragged on the dirt for a few feet before he swung me around a couple times and tossed me across the schoolyard, and I bounced off the ground again and again before my back hit a wall and blood spurted out of my mouth.

Through the wind and the chill and the rain  
And the storm and the flood  
I can feel his approach  
Like the fire in my blood

3-3-3-3-3

Nick threw lightning bolts down at us from the sky, which we all dodged nimbly before I rose up next to him, grabbing his arms from behind in a full nelson and Fang flew up and whaled on his gut over and over, switching to his face, his chest, everything, and I looked up at Angel and nodded after she asked me a question in thought.

My baby flew upright next to me, Gazzy on the other side, and the two pulled at his wings before flipping forward and kicking them, and two very loud, very shudder-worthy cracks filled the air. I dropped him and watched him fall, his eyes wide, before he crashed to the ground.

I need a hero  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light  
and he's gotta be sure  
And it's gotta be soon  
And he's gotta be larger than life

3-3-3-3-3

What do I do? I asked myself again.

**Concentrate on your hand. I'll handle the rest.**

I obeyed without question, and as Cato flew up at me- you know that sound in Star Wars when a laser comes out of a cannon? Well, something like that happened, and a huge red sphere came out of my hand and exploded on Cato.

**Now, Nick! Through the roof!**

I fell fast and gave him a huge punch to the gut and he broke through the roof of the building.

And He's gotta be strong  
And he's gotta be fast  
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight  
I need a hero

I followed him through and landed on a stage on top of him, stomping on his head for good measure.

"Whew!" I said, smiling at Christy on the stage. "Made it."

Everybody cheered for Christy, assuming I had come in as the closing for the act. Christy jumped at me, and I wrapped her in a huge hug.

"They love me!" she shouted happily, tears of joy on her face.

"I love you more," I said. "And hey- haven't got a fiery steed, but I've slain the dragon and gotten myself a princess. I think there is a white knight here!"

She laughed and bowed for her audience, and we ran off the stage together.

3-3-3-3-3

"We have to end this," Fang said, getting out a switchblade knife that he couldn't have had for long. Gazzy and Iggy ared themselves with bombs, and us three girly girls went weaponless. Oh well.

"P-Please don't kill me," Nick begged, and I heard him through it. "I know I deserve it, but please let me go..."

I hesitated, as did the rest of the flock.

"So naïve, Nick said, leaping to his feet and out of our grasp, making us gasp. "Next time we meet-" he pointed a finger at us.

"You'll be the ones with knives at your throats." With that, he gunned his legs and practically disappeared in a flash of blonde hair and red light.

"Everybody okay?" I asked. No, of course not- he'd been holding back and he wasted us.

"Well, now we're dead," Fang said, plopping onto his butt.

"I can't believe this," Iggy muttered. "Nick's gone traitor on us."

_He is a threat to you, Max. You can't ignore that now._

The voice was right. I hated to admit it, though.

"This sucks," Gazzy said as tears formed in his eyes. "It's even worse than at the cliff."

"You're right," I said, trying to look like a leader should. "It does suck. But next time we see Nick, we have to..."

I couldn't make myself say it.

"Have to...?" Nudge asked.

"We have to kill Nick," Fang said bluntly, his dark eyes looking darker than usual.

3-3-3-3-3

Shrek 2: Holding Out For a Hero


	19. Chapter 19

Theanimedude: And I'm back!

Nick: You just keep coming.

Theanimedude: Lots of spare time, lots of fans. Alright, this question is from Pennycat11, same as last time for Fang!

Fang: Hm?

Theanimedude: Fang, Would you rather dress up like a clown forever or get your hair dyed permanent neon green/pink?

Fang: ...

Nick: I've done one of those for a few days...

Fang: Hair. Because I can either dye it black again or cover it.

Theanimedude: Alright, I'll keep the chapters coming, especially since I'm finally where I want to be writing!

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: YoungPadawan approved!

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 19

"What?" I said as my ears picked up the words that had come from Fang's mouth. "No way. No way..."

"What is it?" Christina asked me, her cheerfulness gone just as quickly as it came, wiping her tears of joy away.

"They're..."

"Who?"

"The flock wants to kill me." The severity of the words I'd just spoken knocked me to the ground, literally and I felt blood rise from my throat.

"Hey!" Christy said, bending down to look at me. "Are you alright?"

I shoved past her and ran outside, wiping the blood I'd coughed up on my sleeve, and took off as quickly as I could.

3-3-3-3-3

"_Oh no, oh please no..."_ Nick's voice came from the walkie-talkie, echoing the same words repetitively.

"What's he going on about?" Fang asked me, glaring at the walkie-talkie as though it was Nick himself.

"He wishes that the Merciless hadn't gotten him," I said bluntly, putting the walkie-talkie down on the dining room table. "He wishes we didn't have to kill him."

"_Don't they love me? Don't they-"_ he made a horrible hacking sound between his words.

"_Don't they- hack- care what happens to m- hack-"_

"I care," Angel stood up and looked at me hopefully. "Can't we go after him? Try to straighten all this out?"

"Out of the question," I said automatically. "You know how badly he beat us down, and he wasn't at full strength. The Merciless is going to kill us if we ever see him again."

"Not fair," Gazzy said, scratching at his already scabbing arm. "I'm gonna miss him a lot."

"Yeah, well," I said, glaring at the table. "Life's not fair."

Everybody was staring at me. We were all really banged up, Nudge on the couch with Iggy, who was stroking her hair, Gazzy sitting in a chair a few feet away from me, Angel sitting next to him with Total, and Fang and I at the table.

"Yow," Iggy said, looking, so to speak, over to me. "A little harsh, huh Max?"

"A little heartless," Nudge said, glaring at me.

"No more heartless than Nick," I said, remembering that day at the hawk's cliff when I'd had Nick cornered-

_No more heartless than you, Max._

Thinking back, would it have been better if I'd killed him right then? Would it have been better if I'd never remembered, just went on with our totally screwed-up lives without him? Sure, he'd pulled us out of some tough scrapes, but we could have done okay without him, right?

... No.

"_-hack- Don't they have any faith in –hack- me? –gasp- I-I could've kept the Merciless back before, but now-hack- they could've-hack- helped me through this, but they want to kill me! Stupid, stupid-hack- Merciless!" _

"I'm just gonna say what we're all thinking," I said, reaching out for Angel, who walked into my open arms. "We do care about him. We do wish we could do something about this, but we can't."

"We all love him," Fang said in that catch-people-off-guard-with-blatant-honesty attack plan of his.

"Yeah," I agreed, cuddling Angel, and in effect, Total. "We all love him."

"This sucks," Total said, glaring at the floor, shaking with some mix of fury and typical Scottie energy. "Where am I gonna find another dog to mess around with?"

"He's not a dog!" Gazzy shouted t him, startling me. "He hated being called a dog, remember?"

"I called him mutt all the time," Fang said, tightening his hands into lethal, bandaged fists. "I wonder if that bothered him?"

"He tended to overreact to little things," I pointed out. "It probably didn't matter that much to him.

"_My brothers-hic- sisters... all gone..." _he was sobbing now, and I heard a sound like some sort of thick liquid hitting the ground as he hacked again. He was coughing up blood.

"I miss him," Angel said, burying her head in my chest.

"We all do, kiddo," I sighed.

Exile  
It takes your mind again  
Exile  
It takes your mind again

There was a knock at the door, and I stood up to open it. When I did, Christina gave me an urgent look.

"Did Nick come here?" she asked, and I noticed that Nick's whole group was there with her.

"No," I told her. "He's long gone."

Some kind of horrible scream came from the walkie-talkie, and I shivered.

"Was that Nick?" Sara asked, running inside and looking at the communicating device. "What is this?"

You've got suckers' luck  
Have you given up?  
Does it feel like a trial?  
Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?

" _... Hurts... just hurts... what is this, a friigin' trial by pain? Gah..." _

"That IS Nick on the other side," Christina said with some bewilderment. "What the hack is going on with him?"

"Don't know," I told her as Nick groaned. "He tried to kill us, then left."

"Tried to kill you?" Sara looked at me with surprise. "We were JUST with him! He came to watch Christy's performance at the talent show."

"Had to deal with Cato on his way, too," Kiki pointed out.

"We know what we saw," Fang said. "We know that Nick was possessed and came to attack us. And we know that there's nothing we can do about it."

"Possessed?" Christina asked with some confusion.

"Oh, he hasn't told you?" I asked, picking at my nails to avid meeting their eyes. "Well, there's another life inside of Nick. It turns his anger into power, and when he's angry enough it takes total control over his body."

"And you're saying he was possessed by this thing and now he's recovering from it?" Christina asked.

"Yup."

Exile  
It takes your mind again  
Exile  
It takes your mind again

"So let's go help him!" she shouted at me. "We can get him out of this crap, no problem!"

"He'll kill us if we try," Fang said with stone cold hardness in his voice.

"Don't you have any faith in him?" Christina asked us with sudden fury. "He doesn't WANT to kill you! Do you know how much he tells me he loves each and every one of you? You're his siblings, for Pete's sake! You're the only people he trusts!"

None of us spoke.

"Fine then," Christina said, glowering at us. "Can't take a little beating for somebody you love? Well, I can. I'm going to find him." She turned tail feather and ran, jumping off the deck into flight.

Oh, you meant so much  
Have you given up?  
Does it feel like a trial?  
Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?

Does it feel like a trial?  
Now you're thinking too fast  
You're like marbles on glass

"_Didn't mean to hurt them- oh man-gasp- They gave up on me... they meant so much to me-hack-"_

"I'm going to!" Sara shouted, running after her.

The little twins followed directly behind, and the older pair looked over all of us.

"Pitiful," they said in synch.

"Excuse me?" I asked, a vein bulging on my head.

"You say you love him, you say you care about him, and because of this you're giving up on him. You're the ones he needs right now. And yet you care for your own lives more. Pitiful," they repeated. They then disappeared in twin blurs of black clothing.

3-3-3-3-3

Vilify  
Don't even try  
Vilify  
Don't even try

Nick hacked another mouthful of blood onto the ground, limping forward with great effort.

"Empty answers," he told himself. "They care? Yeah right. If they cared, I wouldn't- hack- be like this now."

**YOU ARE IN A BAD CONDITION.**

_No freaking duh! Shut up!_

The Merciless chuckled to itself in the recesses of Nick's mind that he was unable to be heard from.

**NICK DOESN'T REALIZE THAT THE LESS LOVE HE FEELS, THE MORE ROOM I HAVE TO ROAM- TO CONTROL. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF DAYS BEFORE HIS BODY IS COMPLETELY MINE.**

You've got suckers' luck  
Have you given up?  
Does it feel like a trial?  
Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?  
Does it feel like a trial?  
Did you fall for the same empty answers again?

3-3-3-3-3

I sat in the bar, ignoring the painfully loud music, my chin on the bar.

"Hey kid," the bartender said, walking up to me. He was a tall, roundish man, with a low, kind of scratchy, but not to the extent that it was annoying, voice. "You aren't anywhere near twenty-one, are you?"

"Nah," I murmured. "And though I'd love to drown my sorrows, so to speak, right now, I'm not here to drink."

"Can I get you something?"

"Some water if you've got any."

"Why the mope?" the bartender asked me, pouring the water straight from a faucet. Meh, whatever.

"Family wants to kill me," I said, downing it in one chug. "Another round?"

"You can't mean that," he said as he loaded another glass. "What are you, fifteen?"

"Yeah," I said, downing the next one. "I've got a bit of a problem- I tend to lash out on occasion. Keep 'em comin'."

"And?"

"Well, they didn't want any of it, so now they're going to kill me if they see me again."

"I'm guessing you've got a drug problem, then?"

"... Kind of."

"You know, drugs can mess you up, kid. You need to get that sorted out beforeyou kill yourself."

"I wish I could," I said, laughing halfheartedly. "But every time I think I'm over it-"

"It just comes back," he said, once again getting me water. "I know how it happens. My family won't take me back cuz' of my problems. You know what my name is? Michael Green. But I got high, didn't wanna come down, and now my name's been legally changed to Mike keishter. You know what keishter means, kid?"

"Butt?"

"Exactly. Might as well of renamed myself Mike buttface or somethin'. And now, I can't find my folks to save my life, and I'm stuck working as a bartender."

"Geez, I'm sorry Mike."

"Not your fault kid," he said evenly with a genuine smile on his face. "But it will be your fault if you get yourself killed out here. You need to sort things out, for real."

"I'll try," I lied, looking at my next glass, sniffing it before leaning in. "It's spiked."

"What?"

"It's spiked or something, water doesn't smell like that."

"How can you spike water?" he asked me, a small amount of surprise in his eyes. "It came straight out of the faucet."

"Somebody's got access to your pipes," I pressed on, knowing I was right and tensing up for what was coming. "Somebody who knows I'm here and can't drink beer. Somebody that wants me drunk so that they can kill me."

"What are you gonna do?" he asked me, looking like he actually believed me.

"First," I said, whipping a hundred dollar bill onto the bar. "I'm going to tip you. Then I'm gonna go outside all staggery-like and kick some butt."

"Good luck out there kid. Should I call the cops?"

"There are probably some people here who would panic at the sight of some cops," I said, keeping my voice low and carrying out a drunken façade. "I'll head on out and ake care of myself."

"Well, again, good luck. And thanks."

I waved goodbye with an exaggerated wave, and ambled out of the bar with a giggle.

"Hey, Nick," some erasers said from each side of me, unmorphed and relaxed. "Why not play with us?"

I knew that I was in no condition to fight, so I took the only real option- I got The Merciless to help me out.

You walk on like a woman in suffering  
Won't even bother now to tell me why  
You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment  
Leaving me broken another time  
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane  
Leave me alone, let me be this time  
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption  
I don't want to mention

I lashed out at the nearest eraser, but it was the Merciless controlling me. Every time I offered it control, it was like stepping deeper into an abyss. I hit the ground and made a small pillar of land rise up with sheer brute, forcing some erasers into the air and then shooting miniature versions of those red spheres I'd made at school fighting Cato.

They went down real easy, but more took their place. I set them ablaze and watched them burn without remorse. While I fought, I couldn't stop thinking about Max, however. I felt anger burning within me, and I instantly felt my power rise.

The reason I know  
That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

I continued moving around, striking them like lightning, now in control of the Merciless. It was easier now, and I felt that if I imagined the flock as these erasers, it's be easier to kill them all. My morphed claws ripped into them, my feet stomped them out of existence, my electricity that I'd built up since leaving the bar struck them- I was a maniac! I blew 'em up! I blew 'em alllllll up!

You don't know what your power has done to me  
I want to know if I'll heal inside  
I can't go on with a holocaust about to happen  
Seeing you laughing another time  
You'll never know why your face has haunted me  
My very soul has to bleed this time  
Another hole in the wall of my inner defenses  
Leaving me breathless

"This one's for bombing me, Iggy!" I shouted, tearing an eraser in two with my bare hands. "This ones for YOU bombing me, Gasman!" Burning them down.

"Kicking me!" Another one gone.

"Stomping aall over my gullible butt!" Another one bit the dust.

"BETRAYING ME!" Another pack of about fifty all burned up in fire and Merciless energy.

The reason I know  
That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

Into the abyss will I run

"I don't need you!" I shouted to the open air as I caved in another's skull. "I can take care of my own dang self! If I'm so worthless and you want to kill me, what makes you any different?"

My foot lashed out into an erasers gut, and his torso flew away- his legs, arms and head however, stayed, falling to the ground.

You walk on like a woman in suffering  
Won't even bother now to tell me why  
You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment  
Leaving me broken another time  
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane  
Leave me alone, let me be this time  
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption  
I don't want to mention

"Die, flock, die!" I screamed deliriously, killing the erasers one after the other. "I wish I'd never met you! I wish I was back at the School, being experimented on, having my brain cropped, I don't freaking care! Anything would've been perfect if it meant I never had to see you again!"

The reason I know  
That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

Into the abyss will I run  
I can't let you go  
Yes I am stricken and can't let you go

"Die," I whispered, as no more erasers were coming. "No, don't die. What am I saying? I can't let you go..."

I immediately stopped the Merciless before it can go on some sort of rampage, climbing to the top of the bar and putting myself to sleep.

3-3-3-3-3

"There you have it," Fang said, watching the walkie-talkie emotionlessly. "He hates us for what we did."

"No he doesn't," I denied him. "He just doesn't like this situation, that's all."

"That's why he was screaming die flock, die?"

"... He's mad at us. Who wouldn't be? Nick loves us and you know it, but that Merciless... too dangerous."

"And we have our own goals, here," Fang pointed out. "Like letting Iggy see his parents."

"... You're right. Let's just leave him be for now."

3-3-3-3-3

The National- Exile Vilify

Disturbed- Stricken


	20. Chapter 20

Theanimedude: Okay, today we have a rather dark question for the whole flock.

Nick: Bring on the flockers!

Fang: I see what you did there.

Theanimedude: Okay, from Chrissy123: If you had to kill anyone in the flock who would it be?

Flock: ...

(five minutes later)

Nick: ... Wow.

Theanimedude: They're all blubbering like little sea lions or something.

Nick: YOU'VE SHAVED ME ONCE AGAIN, BABY SEAL!

Theanimedude: Give the disclaimer.

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

**Theanimedude: YoungPadawan approved! One last thing- I've enough homework to choke a horse, do it may be a while before I update again.**

Nick the Eraser chapter 20

It had been two nights since I had fought those packs of erasers at the bar. I'd thought that my coughing up blood was over, but it started again the next night. I'd tossed my black coat, now that it was permanently stained red all over. Now I was clad in my last black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I'd been wearing them for two days.

My condition never got better, no matter how far I walked or how long I rested. It only worsened. I was beginning to get wounds where I'd never touched, cuts lacing every part of me. I was always afraid I'd bleed out, but I kept walking, closer and closer to my destination.

I couldn't fly. My wings were too injured for that. I walked and walked and walked, painstakingly slowly. I didn't think I'd ever reach Doctor Martinez.

I walked along a railroad track, hoping it would lead to food or water of some kind. Walking, walking, walking. I eventually stepped up onto the railroad track, walking from bar to metal bar. I was beginning to feel lightheaded from blood loss.

Then it happened. I froze completely out of my own volition, falling down to the barred ground, ignoring the extra pain that came from crashing against it. Try as I did, I couldn't move an inch. A light framed by a huge black figure was getting ever closer to me.

_Oh, nice._

3-3-3-3-3

We watched the news with Anne a couple nights later, just before the day we planned on leaving. Everything was boring.

"_Now let's go to the California train tracks, where a train stopped completely in its tracks. What caused this, you might ask? Another train on the wrong track? A plane crashing down onto it? Maybe even an armed terrorist threat? No, none of those. See for yourself right now."_

I almost fell off the couch.

"ZOMG." Nudge said, looking at the scene before us.

"Holy s-" Fang stopped, clapping a hand over his mouth.

Nick was lying on the train track, blood trickling down onto the ground from his forehead. His eyes were wide open and unmoving, his mouth slightly ajar. There was an enormous section missing from the train next to him.

"_I saw this guy, and he was bleedin' all over the place, and his hair was blonde, and-"_

"_Sir, the point?"_

"_I didn't say anything cuz' I thought he was a demon or somethin', fo show! And then he just fell flat on his face, the train hit him, and blam! Explosive locomotive. Most awesome thing I seen in my life!"_

"That idiot," I said, staring at the television with disbelief. "Did he try to kill himself or something?"

"That's not what that crazy witness said," Fang said, staring at the television emotionlessly. "He just froze. Whatever happened, he's dead now."

Wrong.

Nick slowly rose from the tracks, and that horrible hacking sound that we'd heard too much the past couple of days resumed. Some reporters ran up to him in a hurry, bombarding him with questions.

"_What's your name?"_

"_Max." _Brat stole my name.

"_Why weren't you somewhere else?"_

"_Because I didn't want to be somewhere else."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_To see some friends." _What?

"_Got any family?" _

"_All dead." _Liar.

"_Well that's a shame-"_

"_Well, that's not entirely true." _My ears perked up. Was he about to say something about us?_ "They all left me. I had a problem I needed them to solve and they wouldn't. They kicked me out and threatened to kill me."_

I swear he looked right at the camera as he hacked again.

"_So I guess you could say they're dead- to me."_

Heavy winds blew the reporters away suddenly as Nick extended his arms. He then ran away, his body healing itself as he stepped, a grim look barely perceived by my raptor eyes.

I snapped the tv off and walked to my room, suppressing dual waterfalls.

3-3-3-3-3

I ran, slowly feeling better and better physically. Emotionally, I felt less and less. I literally couldn't tell you how I felt at the time. I spread my suddenly cured wings and flew forward, so much faster than when I was walking that it wasn't long before I reached the Martinez's.

I rapped on the door gently, and I heard a few rushed footsteps before the door opened slowly.

"Nick?"

And then I was a Nick sandwich between Ella and Doctor Martinez, who were holding me tightly. Oh, how good it felt to be held. I was immediately bombarded with too many questions to answer all at once.

"Why is your hair blonde?"

"Dyed it-"

"Where have you been?"

"Everywhere-"

"What have you been doing?"

"Flying, being hit by trains-"

"Nick, Nick, I saw you on the news," Doctor Martinez said, guiding me a loveseat and sitting me down. "Are you alright?"

" ... No," I admitted, as I ached everywhere, both figuratively and literally. "But better than I've been in a long time."

"Where are Max and the others guy?"

"Who?" I asked.

"The ones you left for a few weeks ago, silly," Ella said, laughing.

Total blank.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, puzzled. "I... don't remember."

3-3-3-3-3

Oh. My. Lord.

_Liar! _I thought over and over as Nick's words came through.

"_Max and Fang, Nick, you know who I'm talking about."_

"_... No, I-I don't. I don't know... wow. I- I just have no idea what happened."_

"_Nick, don't lie. You talked about them on the news. We recorded it."_

After listening to Nick watch the news smugly, I listened intently for his words.

"_I said that? Yow. I look like a train wreck."_

" _... You could say that."_

" _What happened to me?"_

"_You don't remember the girl you told us you loved more than anyone in the world?"_

So there, Nick! Lie through that one!

"_I told you about Christina? When?"_

I think I actually started crying. He'd forgotten us. He'd really forgotten us. Fang's hand glided up and down my back, trying to comfort me, but it didn't help any.

"_I-it's weird, I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders... but it left this huge hole behind."_

I knew exactly what he meant.

3-3-3-3-3

"Well, u-um, can we get you something? Anything you need?" The doc asked me as I looked up from my sneakers.

"Can I crash here for a little while?"

"Stay as long as you like." That was even quicker than I'd thought.

"Can I maybe live here then?"

Doctor Martinez looked shocked. Ella looked at her, then at me, then back at her. Eventually Doctor Martinez gave me a huge smile.

"Of course you can," she said, her voice cracking. "We'd love to have you here."

(So many POV changes!)

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Christina shouted in frustration. "We don't have any idea which way Nick went anyway!"

"We have to keep looking!" Sara insisted desperately.

"You're right, you're right," Christina said, rubbing her temples. "Still, we don't have a heading. We're just flying blind and hoping to get lucky."

"Where might Nick have gone that we know of?" Kimmy piped up, flying alongside the others worriedly.

"Yeah, we should start somewhere like that," Kiki said.

"Camo, Espio," Christina said, turning around any flying backwards while still facing the two brothers. "You used to spy on Nick, right? Where has he been that he wasn't with the flock?"

" ... We are not sure," they said in monotonous unison. "We were only assigned our task after he rejoined them."

"But there was a time when he wasn't with them?"

"Apparently."

"So wherever he was then has got to be where he is now!" Christina said.

"It is an idea, yes," Camo and Espio agreed simultaneously. "But we do not know where that is."

"Well, what do we do, then?" Christina asked, now more frustrated. "We know what we're looking for, and exactly where it is, just not where that place is!"

"We apologize," Camo and Espio said in that programmed way they had. "We know no more."

Suddenly, their eyes darted towards the ground.

"Woof," Camo and Espio said together.

"What?"

"Woof. Arf, arf."

Christina looked down where they were looking to see a small pack of arctic tundra wolves.

Hello.

The six mutants flew down and landed beside the animals, which stared at them intently.

"Hey," Christina asked, watching them warily. "Aren't you Nick's pets or something?"

One wagged its tail at the mention of their previous alpha.

"Do you know where he is?" Christina pressed on.

One yipped excitedly, turning around and sniffing the air. The wolves then all began to bark with the same excitement that the first had displayed before breaking out into a run.

"They want us to follow them," Sara said, looking up at Christina.

"W-well, I guess we follow them," she responded. "Let's go."

3-3-3-3-3

I had been at the Martinez's for a day now. Today I was helping the doc move furniture. Pretty lightweight stuff, really. A couple chairs, a couch, a table, but there was no reason she should've had to be the one doing it, especially not considering the hospitality she'd been showing me.

Oh, and guess what? My room hadn't been TOUCHED since the last time I'd been in this house. It was like they expected me to come back or something. Whatever, I wasn't complaining. I had a home, a family. I'd never had one before.

But they kept alluding to the contrary, asking me questions like, "How's Max?" or "What's Fang been up to?" that made my head hurt. I never knew what they meant, and I felt like I should've.

Come to think of it, where had I been before I was here? I remember flying over here and knowing that I wanted to come here, but I didn't remember anything before that. Something must've happened, but I couldn't begin to imagine what. None of it made sense, no matter how hard I tried to make sense of it.

But could it really matter?

If I'd forgotten, it couldn't have mattered much, right? So I decided to just forget about it and keep on moving furniture.

"Hungry?" Doctor Martinez asked from the kitchen.

"Kind of," I said, setting the couch I was carrying down.

"Then come on in here," she told me and Ella, who was riding the couch I had lifted. "The cookies just came out of the oven."

Cookies? I was back in heaven again.

"Oh, wow!" Ella shouted as the smell wafted over to us. "They smell amazing, mom!"

"Yeah, mom," I said, sniffing the air as well. The two of them looked at me strangely.

"Oh," I whispered looking at the floor with embarrassment. "Sorry. I didn't-"

"It's alright," she said, smiling with some sort of glitter in her eyes. "I'm the woman with custody over you. That technically makes me your mom, doesn't it?"

I smiled right back as I stuffed a cookie in my mouth. "Yeah."

3-3-3-3-3

Late that night, there was a knocking at the door. I rose from the couch I was sleeping on and walked over to it, yawning. I looked through the peephole and saw...

...

...

...

Ohhhhh lord.

An angel- an angel I recognized.

"Christy," I whispered, and then she was holding me so close I thought I'd suffocate. But it was perfect.

"You're alive..." she kept repeating, and I felt warm tears dripping onto my chest. Sara had jumped up onto my head and was holding onto me from behind, Kiki and Kimmy were both on my shoulders. Camo and Espio were there as well, and I thought even THEY were smiling.

"Hey," I whispered as the two people I loved more than anything in the world gripped me tightly. "How have you been?"

"Better, now," Christy said, wiping her tears away and grinning at me. "We owe it to the wolves that we found you."

"Wolves?" I asked as suddenly I felt everybody drop off me and six limber bodies fall upon me, long muscled tongues tackling my face and feet scrabbling against my sides. I laughed as my old animal friends showed me their own form of rough affection, wrestling them all off of me.

"Nick?" Ella said drowsily as she walked over towards me from inside the house. "Who's here?"

"Some friends 'a mine," I said, climbing to my feet as I was attacked from all sides by one girlfriend, three young girls, and six tundra wolves.

"... Well then," Ella said. "We have plenty of couches if you need a place to sleep. But we're a little short on beds."

"It's fine," Camo and Espio chorused before transforming into beds inside of the house. Sara and the little twins all fit on one, and Christina sat on the other. I lay myself back down on the couch and Christy put her hand in mine.

"I love you," she whispered, her head on my chest suddenly. I blushed slightly before saying "Ditto."

3-3-3-3-3

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Ella asked me. "We're gonna miss you again."

"I know," I said. "But you'll be safer without a well-known target hanging around in your house."

"If you have to go, at least take some more clothes with you," the doc said as she handed me a few grocery bags stuffed with jeans and shirts. "The ones you've been wearing smell horrible."

"Alright," I said with a grateful smile. "Thanks, mom. I promise I'll see you again."

"That's more than Max said," Ella said to me.

"Who?"

"Nobody. See you later."

"Yeah, um, bye," I said, cocking my head in confusion. The seven of us took off, the wolves running beneath us.

"So this is where you've been this whole time?" Christy asked me as Sara sat down on top of my back, just below my wings.

"I spent a couple days walking, but yeah."

"Walking? Why not flying?"

"Couldn't. Wings hurt too much," I said honestly.

"So, where are we going now, big brother?" Sara asked me with curiosity. I could almost see her hand on her chin.

"I figured you had a plan," I said sheepishly.

"Well, you're the leader," Christy said as the two younger twins did midair cartwheels and somersaults, laughing. "Lead."

"No, I'm not the leader," I said. "The leader here is-"

I paused.

"Who used to lead us?" I asked Sara.

"Max did."

"Who?"

"You know, your other sister?" Sara pressed on, looking at me strangely.

"I thought you were my only sister," I said, confused.

3-3-3-3-3

"_The one that wanted to kill you?" _Christina's voice came through the walkie-talkie as we flew away from school.

"_Somebody wants to kill me? How'd I manage to forget that?"_

"I can't believe him," I muttered as Total jumped into Angel's arms, licking her face.

"Sure he's not acting?" Fang asked me.

"I'm sure."

"How'd he even do that?" Fang asked me. "I mean, he only got hit by a train, and I'd say it was more damaged than he was. So how'd he manage to completely forget about us?"

"Don't ask me," I said, looking around.

Then I remembered something I seemed to be constantly forgetting- Nick and I had our minds linked. We could read each other's minds no matter how far away one was from the other. One time, we were a couple hundred miles away from each other, AND he was under water and I still managed to reach him. When he was asleep, I'd actually travelled INTO HIS MIND. Long story.

_Nick? _I thought at him, pressing two fingers to my temples. _Can you hear me?_

"_Agh!" _Nick's voice came from the walkie-talkie once more, only this time he seemed freaked out.

_Mercless, don't play jokes on me..._if one can mutter a thought, he sure as heck did.

_Nick, I'm not the Merciless. I'm Max._

_Max, Max, Max... Oh, yeah! EVERYBODY'S been talking about you. So, what I wanna know is, who are you, really?_

_Your sister._

_... Sara, quit playing games with m-_

_Nick. I'm not Sara. I'm Max. Remember?_

_... Apparently I should, because everybody keeps trying to tell me you were really important. No clue, though._

I searched his mind for anything and everything that could lead to memories about me, and it was like a timeline opened up and I could see like a television view of what hed been going on for his whole life.

Everywhere in time where he'd had the slightest thought about us, meaning the flock, was like looking at static on a screen. Even our first meeting, when I'd been six, him seven.

_You've told me in the past you loved me more than anything in the world, Nick. _

_I can't tell you how many times I've been told that._

_And?_

_... Doesn't ring a bell._

_..._

_Max? Are you there?_

_How could you?!_

I blocked him out, wiping the tears I hadn't noticed forming on my sleeve. Fang looked at me with that stale concern I'd seen too much of in New York, and I waved him off.

Screw Nick. He wasn't our problem anymore. He wasn't my problem anymore.

_So I'm dead to you, huh Nick?_

_I-_

_Well you're dead to me too._

3-3-3-3-3

"... Was Max really important to me?" I asked Christy. She stared at me for a couple seconds before turning to face me in the air, flying backwards- a fancy little trick I'd taught her.

"You loved her-"

"More than anything in the world, right?"

"... Yeah."

"Then how come I can't remember to save my life?"

"I dunno, train wreck amnesia?"

"It must be that," I reasoned, more like I was trying to convince myself than her. "Otherwise, how could I have forgotten?"

_Yeah, how?_

_I'm trying to figure that out myself, Max! _

_Whatever. I'll give you five minutes. Try to remember my name._

_Max, come on, give me a break. I'm trying pretty hard as is._

_..._

_Max, I want to know._

_... My full name, then. _

_What?_

_I'll tell you my full name._

_Great. That's a start._

_Maximum Ride._

I racked my brain, but found nothing even partially pertaining to the name.

_... I'm sorry. I can't really say that helps._

_... Whatever. Go jump off a cliff with your wings tucked in._

_Wings!_

_What?_

I went out on a limb, and made a random guess purely hoping I was correct, because I had no way of knowing if I was wrong or right.

_You have wings, right?_

_... Yeah. I do._

_What color?_

_White with brown speckles._

I painted a picture of her in my mind, asking her for detail after detail about herself. Eventually I was convinced I knew everything I needed to know, and so I asked her-

_Do you look anything like this?_

She was momentarily silent, and when her thoughts reached me, she sounded overjoyed.

_Yes! I look EXACTLY like that!_

_Okay, I can picture you now, but I still don't know anything about you. I want to remember, Max. I really do._

_Well, we need to meet up somewhere then._

_Oka- _I stopped when I noticed Sara looking at me and shaking her head.

_Can't._

_What? Why not?_

_Because Sara said you want to kill me._

_Nick, I don't- _She paused. _... WANT to kill you. But you almost killed me- us, I mean._

_I'm sorry, Max. But right now, I need to find a place to be stable, to live. After I've found a place to stay permanently, I'll try to meet up with you._

_How do you know you'll be able to find me?_

_Max, _I said, smiling slightly. _I'm Nick Tundra- and you know Nick Tundra. I can do anything._

3-3-3-3-3

I pressed a button on the walkie-talkie on accident, and the first thing that popped up was a screen- a screen that showed a red dot moving across it.

Oh my lord.

"This thing has GPS," I breathed. "It shows where Nick is."

"Do we go?" Fang asked me.

"Yes!" I practically shouted. "Let's show him what happens when you forget us!"

"Or, you know," Iggy said patiently. "We could just say "Hi, how you doing?"

"No," I said, grinning. "We're going to make him remember us."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Fang asked me. "Remember- he's the one with the foot, and we're practically a bunch of exposed butts."

Gazzy snickered, and I glared at Fang.

"Don't you at least want to see him?" I asked hopefully. "He's in control of himself now, so he shouldn't be a threat."

"..."

"Well, I'm going. Come on, let's go." I turned tail feather and flew in the direction the GPS said Nick was coming from, and knew without looking the flock was close behind me.

3-3-3-3-3

"Well, for now the underground seems like our best bet," I mused, "Besides, I wanna see how Rick's doing."

"Then that's where we'll go," Christy said, slapping my back with a wing. "Tag! You're it!"

"Not for long," I said with a grin, closing in on her from behind as we made our way to the underground.


	21. Chapter 21

Theanimedude: I'm back, I'm done with that dang homework, and I'm writing again.

Nick: Woo!

Fang: Hm.

Theanimedude: Fang, stop trying to make "Hm" your catchphrase. Stick with "Hn."

Fang: Hn?

Theanimedude: Good. Now, this question is from Whisper13, for Fang and Iggy.

Fang: Hn.

Iggy: Alright.

Theanimedude: Fang, Iggy, read a- (jaw drops)

Fang: What is it?

Theanimedude: I'm gonna be honest, this question really scares me... oh lord, help me.

Iggy: What?

Theanimedude: I refuse to read it myself. Fang, you do it, please.

Fang: Read a Figgy fic and then express your feelings to- each- other...

Theanimedude: I'm sorry, but I figured I'd post that the question was asked and leave it at that.

Fang: (Barfs all over the floor)

Iggy: Holy crap... Fang, please don't tell me you want to answer-

Fang: HECK NO!

Iggy: Oh, thank god.

Theanimedude: Sane one! Give the disclaimer!

Nick: Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Nick: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: YoungPadawan approved!

Mick the Eraser 2 chapter 21

"Holy mother," I whispered as I saw the huge blot of brown moving towards us. "Is it just me, or are all of those erasers?"

"Not good," Camo and Espio synchronized, flying beside me.

"What are we going to do?" Sara asked, trying not to squeal.

"Yeah, leader," Christy said, looking at me with concern. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," I said, trying to think of something and stalling for time. "Which way can I do this that would result in minimal injury for the pack as a whole...?"

"C and E," I said, turning to my chameleon pack members. "I need you to camouflage sheet everybody but me, including the wolves, and keep moving. I'll catch up once I've dealt with the issue."

"Nick?" Christy said with some sort of emotion I didn't quite recognize.

"If you got hurt I couldn't forgive myself," I said, and I swear I heard Max snort in my head. "Go with the others."

" ... I want to fi-"

"Christy," I said with a firm sternness that I really wished I hadn't needed to use on her. "If I fight, I may go out of control. If I sit this one out and watch you fight, no matter how capable you all are, I'll be sending you to your graves. So if you go on without me, I have the lowest risk of casualties."

"I can take a beating!" she insisted.

"I know you can! But I don't want to be the one delivering the beating!"

"I'd forgive you!"

"But I couldn't forgive myself!"

"Buck up, you can handle a little guilt, right?"

"No," I said earnestly. "Not even a little."

"He's not lying," Sara said. "He felt guilty just for saying he wasn't tired when he was."

"I don't want to watch you get massacred out there," Christy said honestly, and she had a look like somebody I knew when they didn't want to lose a fight.

"I can handle this, Christy. They're just erasers."

" ... Fine."

"Fine."

With that, we flew in front of each other and kissed briefly before parting and waving each other off.

"Be safe," she said to me.

"Don't ask for miracles," I said, to which I received a smile.

"Nick Tundra, winning arguments for men in relationships all around the world!" I said to myself, chuckling.

_Nick, you sexist pig. _

_I am not going to start dating guys, no matter what you say, Max._

_Ew! No, that's not what I meant-_

_**BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! NICK, IT'S TIME TO FIGHT!**_

I hadn't even noticed the erasers coming towards me. I made sure the pack had escaped alright, sending loving thoughts to Christy, and landed in the middle of the oncoming armada, some landing, some staying in the air. They had tanks, choppers, not to mention an incredibly high amount of firearms.

"Alright," I said with a sigh. "Unless every single one of you is here to sell me hair dye remover, you should all take a last look around while you're alive."

I received large roars of laughter. Unlike most people, who hate being underestimated, I love it. It always meant that I got to see a satisfying look of surprise on my opponents faces.

"You are one little man," a rather huge eraser said to me with a heavy Russian accent. "We are army of big men!"

"You suck on ice, Tundra!" one with a New Yorker accent yelled to me.

"Sprich nicht mit mir, du verrückter Mann!" ... I'm guessing German.

"Riiiiight..." I said, looking around. "So, you guys are coming from around the world now, huh? Well, this one Californian Eraser is about to kick about the entire world's worth of Erasers butts."

Of course, all heck broke loose then.

Another mission the powers have called me away  
Another time to carry the colors again  
My motivation an oath I've sworn to defend  
To win the honor of coming back home again

I simply stood still and watched the whole world collapse on me- metaphorically, thank you- as guns were fired, people leapt at me, missiles flew from army tanks, and not one thing hit me. Every single attack either coasted by me or bounced off the Merciless's coat that I'd surrounded myself with. So thin, and yet completely impenetrable.

No explanation will matter after we begin  
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within  
My true vocation and now my unfortunate friend  
You will discover a war you're unable to win

They all stared at me, stunned, as I, without moving, sent crippling crescents of the Merciless's unique morphological substance, now sharper than a comedian's wit.

A good deal of them died just from that, and I managed to take off most of the tank's turrets.

I'll have you know  
That I've become  
Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side a terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable

Of course, they hadn't learned from their first try, and guns and missiles were fired once more. Again, none hit me. I ran forward with a short burst of speed, and then pushed my hand down into the ground, which lit up with red light. ALL the ground troops died on the spot as the Merciless crept onto them and... well, killed them, let's just leave it at that.

Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive

Next, I jumped into the air, planning another mass attack, holding one wrist with the other hand, aiming downwards-

I'm an indestructible

-and fired an enormous sphere of the Merciless.

Master of war

I watched them all scream as the sphere engulfed them, disintegrating them. Yeowch.

"Well, that's about it, then," I said, feigning stupidity. I turned around and blocked a punch from an eraser with one coated arm, and ran past its doomed carcass.

Everywhere I ran, erasers and other miscellaneous mutants that I didn't what to call died. Picture them there and then just... not.

Another reason another cause for me to fight  
Another fuse uncovered now for me to light  
My dedication to all that I've sworn to protect  
I carry out my orders without a regret  
and then I went back to dodging or disintegrating projectiles. It was weird- there were all different kind of mutants there, now. Even some that looked deformed. The school had gotten desperate of something.

_If they were sending in everything at once, they'd be powerless, _I thought with grim realization. _This is just a small force. I've got a ton more to deal with._

"Well," I said as I was literally rammed into by a chopper- which was just as soon, like all other things, gone. "All I can say is bring it on."

My declaration embedded deep under my skin  
A permanent reminder of how it began  
No hesitation when I am commanded to strike  
You need to know that you're in for the fight of your life

"What's with this guy?!" I heard somebody screaming. "He's some sort of monster!"

"The Merciless is a demon, thank you," I said, shooting miniature Merciless spheres in all directions. "Get it right."

You will be shown  
How I've become  
Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side a terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable

"I feel kind of alone right now, though," I said to myself as I ran straight into another wave, knowing that each one that even got near me would just die on the spot.

_How's it going?_

_Hey, Max. Not too bad, really._

I ducked under the next one's fist- and you can probably guess what happened to it.

_What's going on over there?_

_I'm hardly doing anything and they're all dying. It's like, I dodge them, and then they're just gone._

_Why?_

_Merciless? I dunno, I'm winning though._

I flew upwards, avoiding the next rain of blows from the other mutants and their weapons, all the while spreading out the Merciless energy.

Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive

I tucked in my wings and arms, kind of in a fetal position, and waited for the next onslaught of pointless attacks.

I'm an indestructible

I let the Merciless take the form of a small sphere in my hand before lifting it into the air and watching it explode in a glorious ball of absolute destruction.

Master of war

By now, their forces were all pretty much either dead or mortally wounded.

_This power is amazing! I hardly have to do a thing other than sit back and watch the fireworks!_

_Nick, are you-_

_Better than ever! Why?_

_You're giggling like a hyena._

I found that I was, but hey, what the heck, right? If you were as powerful as I had been, you would be pretty happy.

_I probably wouldn't kill people with it._

_Well, this is a matter of survival._

_Who's survival?_

_My pack's._

If I left these guys standing, they were a threat to the pack, right? Maybe not to me, but-

"Agh!" I shouted as a missile exploded right next to me, knocking me back a couple feet.

What?

_Merciless!_

_**YOU ARE MISUSING MY POWER. YOU CAN DO THE REST ON YOUR OWN.**_

Well, crap. Now these guys actually posed a threat.

I'm  
Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side a terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable

I leapt into the air, flying out of the way of the mutants that had caught on to the fact that they could do me some damage now as well as the missiles, bullets, grenades, choppers- I suddenly felt a whole lot smaller.

I fired lightning in every direction, bringing down the choppers that were left. Then I set the ground on fire so that all the more minor forces would stop hitting me. I then froze the turrets on the tanks that were left before proceeding to kick them all, breaking them into useless shards of ice.

And of course more had to come in...

Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive  
I am indestructible  
Indestructible

I flew straight towards them all, barrel rolling through the air to avoid being shot out of the sky-press b to boost!- and firing fireballs, lightning, shards of ice, tornados, pretty much everything I had at my disposal, towards my foes.

Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side a terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable

I landed down on the ground once I'd gotten in the middle of the ones that I hadn't gotten rid of yet, waiting, waiting, waiting for them to all get within range-

Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive  
They were finally upon me, and I made a shield out of wind to surround every last one of them, preventing their escape. I then pushed my hand into the ground, unloading every bit of electricity I had left and letting it all completely cover the ground.

I'm an indestructible  
The electricity came up out of the ground, zapping everything around me, killing most of them of course, before the survivors fell with the corpses to the ground.

Master of war

"Finally," I whispered as I trudged exhaustedly over the various mutants and pieces of broken machinery. "It's over."

_You alright?_

_Best I'm gonna be, Max. See that Merciless? I don't need you._

_**YOU THINK SO? **_

All of a sudden, I fell to my knees in a coughing fit. I hacked and wretched as I felt something moving upward inside of me. I began to panic, asking the Merciless what the heck was going on. When it didn't answer, I became fearful.

And then I coughed up a small silver object, about the size of my thumb, onto the ground.

_Nick! Nick, what happened?!_

_**LOOK AT IT, NICK.**_

I picked up the object shakily, still recovering from my sudden fit.

It was a bullet.

_Is that-?_

_**THE VERY BULLET THAT WAS SHOT INTO YOUR HEART BY THAT LITTLE CAT BOY, NICK. I'VE KEPT IT WITHIN YOU, WITHIN ME, ALL THIS TIME. I'VE KEPT IT FROM BEING ABLE TO KILL YOU. WITHOUT ME, NICK, YOU'D BE DEAD BY NOW.**_

_**AND- WITHOUT ME YOU WOULD DIE IMMEDIATELY, NICK. I AM THE ONLY REASON THAT YOU ARE EVEN CAPABLE OF LIVING. YOUR EXPIRATION DATE KICKED IN LONG AGO.**_

I realized with terror that it was right. No eraser had lived nearly as long as I'd been living, not even half as long. With the exception of Ari, who was turned into an eraser years after his own birth.

_**RELAX, NICK. THERE'S NO POINT IN ME KILLING YOU- NOT YET, AT LEAST.**_

I took off into the sky after my pack with the grim realization of the fact that my life was in the hands of a heartless murderer. Oh yeah. Life is just GREAT.


	22. Chapter 22

Theanimedude: Yello, I have returned. After being sic, thank you. You know what I hate? Hwving nothing but filler to upload when you're being prodded by certain fans to update. So, sorry it took so long, but I wanted to make something actually happen.

Fang: ...

Theanimedude: ...

Fang: ...

Theanimedude: Where's Nick?

Fang: Out back.

Theanimedude: Okay, question's for Max, from Knight Mistress.

Max: Hey.

Theanimedude: Okay, question: Is cannibalism frowned on in your society?

Max: Depends on the species. For humans and avian Americans such as ourselves, yes. Canines, though...

Total: (runs across room) OH, GOD HELP ME!

Nick: (chasing as wolf) RAWR!

Max: ... They have no problem with it.

Theanimedude: Well, Nick's a little preoccupied, so why don't you give the disclaimer, Fang?

Fang: Hn, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Fang: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Nick: Om nom nom nom!

Max: D8

Theanimedude: Let him live, sane one! Next chappie, mah readahs. Also: Indestructible is owned by Disturbed. Sorry for not bringing that up before.

Nick the Eraser chapter 22

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah, Christy. That's exactly what it said."_

Nick was talking to Christy from the other walkie-talkie, and he had just told her about the Merciless being the only thing keeping him alive.

"It said something about this forever ago," I said as we flew towards where the GPS was guiding us. "When I was inside of his head, the thing that I thought was the voice must have been it."

" ... What?" Fang said, looking at me peculiarly.

"Okay, Max," Iggy said, holding up his hands. "When you were "inside his head," what was it saying?"

"That it kept him alive," I continued in all seriousness before realizing that Iggy was mocking me. "And that your head's full of rocks."

"Max, I hate to say it," Nudge said looking at me. "But that does sound a little crazy. You went inside his head?"

"Oh, right," I said, glaring uselessly at Iggy as he flew behind me, snickering. "It's just as crazy as kids with wings. That couldn't ever happen though."

"Max-" Fang broke in.

"EVER!" He looked at me oddly before continuing.

"If you can get inside his head, how come you haven't been doing that lately?"

"Gee, I don't know," I said sarcastically, "Maybe because we've been trying for a couple days to avoid him as much as possible."

"Now, though?" Fang asked with that exaggerated patience that showed he was getting agitated.

"Um, guys," Gazzy said.

"It only works when he's asleep," I defended myself.

"And?"

"He sleeps when we sleep, Fang."

"Guys..."

"So that's pretty useless," Fang commented drily, to which I gave him a sour look.

"Oh, yeah," I said, turning my head away from him. "Since we all have genius plans, here. How do we even know we can trust this GPS? I mean, who even gave it to us?"

"Guys!" Gazzy shouted, and we all looked at him. "Look at the GPS! They just flew right past us!"

I looked, and sure enough, we were now moving in the opposite direction as him, only now we were flying away from him.

"Oh," I said, turning around. "Yeah. Sorry, Gazzers."

"Maybe I should have the GPS," Iggy suggested.

"I'm rolling my eyes, Iggy," I told him.

"Maybe I should," Nudge piped up suddenly. "I could, like, tell who gave it to us when I touch it."

"Oh, Nudge," I said, giving her a grin. "Good thinking!"

She blushed while smiling and taking it.

"It's... Nick," she said after a second's hesitation. "Definitely Nick."

"What? But why would he give that to us?" I asked her with confusion.

"Dunno. But it's Nick's fingerprint, Nick's voice, and Nick's face that shows up when I look at this thing," she said.

"That makes no sense," I said, rubbing my temples slowly. "Why would he WANT us to spy on him?"

"Maybe Nick's the one that's been trying to fool us," Angel suggested. "I mean, he thinks we've been trying to, right?"

"I-I don't know," I muttered. "Let's just get wherever he is and then we can get him to answer our questions."

"He might lie," Fang said.

"I trust him," I said, looking back at Fang sharply. "He loves me, you know."

Fang was silent. I turned my head away from him with a snort.

"Whatever," I said before giving him a small smirk. " ... Mister Tall, Dark and Stupid."

"Only he's allowed to call me that," Fang said before turning his head away and hiding his face. Oh yeah. I was good.

3-3-3-3-3

"And it's this tree right here," I said, pushing a few a few buttons on the tree in I was standing in front of. Now, I know what you're thinking- typically, trees don't have buttons. But this one did, mostly because it was the entrance to the eraser underground.

"You're going to be alright?" Christy asked me, and I nodded.

"For the time being, it wants me alive," I told her. "Kind of pointless to worry about it right now."

"If you're sure."

"Trust me, I am."

"So, how does this work, big brother?" Sara asked me. "Is there a door in the tree or-"

A hole opened up in the ground, swallowing us up before closing above our heads, throwing us into total darkness.

"What's happening?!" the twins shouted with fright as we were thrown in different directions, further into pitch black darkness.

"Isn't it fun?!" I asked them giddily. "It's a slide to get into the underground!"

It was exhilarating. Falling, sliding, going airborne and all of that kind of stuff. I knew I loved the place just from the entrance.

"Aren't you scared?" Sara asked me, trying to sound brave.

"Nope!" I said. "Just don't open your wings or anything, alright? You might lose them."

Aside from the occasional shout of surprise from our movements, we rode down the rest of the way in silence.

"I can see light!" I finally said- 2 seconds before we were flung out onto a mattress in a jumbled up pile of mutant.

Christy and I were laughing so hard our sides were hurting, but the rest of the pack seemed disoriented. A couple seconds later, six tundra wolves skidded to a stop at the bottom, landing beside us and walking in circles, trying to clear their heads.

"Wasn't that fun?" I asked as we picked ourselves up.

"..."

"Maybe the second time," I said, noting the blank expressions of our youngest members.

"This is where we will be staying?" Camo and Espio asked, looking around.

"Sure is. Let's see if we can find Rick," I said to them. "He's bound to help us out around here."

See, the first people to make the underground were digging mutants, and they'd made then entire network of tunnels, burrowing rooms out, making an entire even room, everything a person could need. The ceiling was a good twenty feet above our heads, plenty of room to fly or climb. Air was ventilated down here from the surface, and though it was shallow and musky, it was breathable. The tunnel we were in was empty, so we had to search through the others to find Rick.

"Hyah!" I heard just before a starburst of pain exploded in the back of my head.

"Agh! My head!" I shouted, falling to the ground.

"Agh! My foot!" an unfamiliar voice shouted.

"What the heck just happened?" Christy asked, in a daze.

I stood and turned around, my hand on the back of my head, to see a rather... interesting person, lying on the ground and clutching his foot. He looked to be about fourteen. He had black hair and was wearing a green shirt with a pair of jeans. He also had a pair of black tinted goggles over his eyes, hiding them from view.

"What was that for?" I asked the assaulter, annoyed and in pain.

"Well, you're intruders, obviously," the guy said, standing up and glaring at me. "I have to sound the alarm and ambush you."

"Intruders-" Sara barely had time to ask before a huge crowd of assorted mutants charged towards us from the tunnel in front of us.

"Holy crab cakes," Sara whispered, in awe at the amount of people coming towards us. There were erasers, huge lizard-men, some- literally- giant parrots and eagles, (Polly want a person?) people without arms or legs, instead having in their place eight, hairy limbs that they scuttled along the walls on, and a whole bunch of mutants I couldn't tell what was in them but it was clear that their organs weren't in a lot of them. Some of the mutants coming were missing eyes, limbs, evn entire heads- don't ask me how they were alive.

"Oh my gosh," Kiki and Kimmy squealed. "So many..."

"Get ready, guys," I said, taking on a fighting stance. "This isn't gonna go the way we expected."

"I expected things to get crazy sooner or later," Camo chimed in, before his brother said "So really, it's not a surprise."

"No joke," I muttered. "When our lives don't get hectic? That's when I'll be surprised."

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" I heard a voice as an eraser dropped in front of us, and all of the mutants paused to look at him. "These guys aren't unfriendlys."

A huge amount of murmurs came through the crowd and another eraser stepped out front, looking at our helped suspiciously.

"You know these guys, Rick?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Rick said, turning and smiling at Christy and I, shouting so that everyone could hear him. "Didn't expect to see them again so soon, though."

"Oh, it's great to see you again," Christy said, running up to him and shaking his hand vigorously. "I thought we were cow meat for a second there, thanks for saving our bacon."

"If you're cow meat, didn't I save your steak?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows comically. I gave a short laugh, as did the rest of the pack, excluding the wolves.

"Sorry to disappoint, but these guys are my buddies," Rick said, turning around. "Nobody to kill here- but I'll tell ya, they'll make some powerful allies."

"I'm not impressed," Goggle boy said, walking over to Rick with discontentment. "If they're so great, they've got to prove it.

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Leroy-"

"ALPHA!"

"- Alpha. These guy are more than you can handle as two, and there's twelve of 'em." Rick said, waving his arm in our direction.

"You'll have to forgive Leroy," Rick said as the guy muttered "Alpha," under his breath. "He's not a very trusting guy. He'll learn to live with ya', and when he does, you guys'll make a heck of a team. Now, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Oh! Sorry," Christy said, walking foreward, placing a hand on her chest. "My name's Christina."

"She's Kimmy."

"She's Kiki." Giggling.

"Camo and Espio," the two Japanese boys said, bowing slightly.

"Nick Tundra," I said, and of course that's when things got crazy.

"OMG-"

"THE Nick Tundra?!"

"Holy-"

"Son of a-"

"Fudgeducking cheesecake!"

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Rick shouted above the crowd. "Yeah, he's the Nick Tundra that everybody's afraid of. Turns out he's not working for the school, and he wants to help us."

"Aren't you famous," Christy asked, bumping my shoulder with her own.

"Now, guys," Rick said, waving us over to the slide we'd come in through. "The buttons that were on the tree are coded, but they also check fingerprints. We need you to get your fingerprints scanned so that we can recognize you and not have the whole 'ambushing' thing happening with Leroy."

"Alpha!"

"Whatever," Rick muttered. "So, go ahead and do that."

A panel slid open on the wall in front of us and we each pressed a finger against the scanner under it.

"Now, we need you guys to not say anything about this place, okay?" Rick said, before turning to us and giving us a serious look. "Or else."

"O-or else what?" I asked, genuinely frightened. "You'll... kill us?" Rick stared at us quietly as we all made silent promises in our heads to never say anything about this place.

"No," he said finally. "I'll just get in a lot of trouble with the boss. That's totally not cool. Follow me when you're ready, we'll go see him."

After Rick walked down one of the tunnels, turning into a separate one, Christy whispered "Rick's kind of odd, isn't he?"

3-3-3-3-3

"_Nick Tundra here! I'm recording myself on this thing so that I can pass time. Anyway, this'll mark my first night living in the mutant underground. Christy and I got the same room, so that's a good thing._

"_We met the leader tonight. He's not really suited to the role, in my opinion. He seems like he doesn't really care about taking the school out, but he does have some motive. Not quite sure what it is, though._

"_In any case, I'm here to help bring down the school at whatever cost I have to pay, so that's what I'll do! _

"_Oh, the boss is calling us- guess he's got a job for The Pack. I'll make another one of these soon, I promise. ... Look at you talkin' to yourself, Nick. You must be insane. But then again, isn't sanity overrated?_

"_See ya'!"_

3-3-3-3-3

I ran up the asphalt steps two at a time, (weird material, eh?) the Pack right behind me excluding the wolves, straight up to the boss. He was in the room closest to the surface, and considering the length of the slide, it wasn't exactly a quick bound to the top.

"I can't believe I'm ahead of you!" I shouted to Christy, who was close behind me.

"There's no racing on stairs!" she shouted back. "Someone could get hurt!"

"Very true," Camo said casually, his brother nodding.

"I guess you're right."

"How many more stairs, big brother?" Sara asked, panting. We'd been going up the same flight for about ten minutes, and considering our speed and stamina, that was a lot of stairs.

"We're getting there, sweetie," I said reassuringly. "Eventually."

"I wish the stairway wasn't so narrow," Kimmy moaned.

"We could fly if it were wider," Kiki groaned.

"We'll get there soon, I promise," I muttered, holding my head in one hand. "I'm starting to wonder how important this job is, since we have to meet him all the way up here."

"Yeah, and isn't it interesting that everybody else has their rooms on the same level?" Christy asked wait obvious disapproval towards our state of affairs.

"At least install an elevator, boss-man," I whispered.

"You like elevators?" Christy asked. Let me point out that we were having this conversation while running full speed up these steps, and that said conversation had started ten minutes after we started running. Now, how long would this take a normal human walking?

"A little too tight a space for me, actually."

"Yeah."

3-3-3-3-3

"A friggin half hour later," I said as we finally, finally walked into the boss's quarters.

"Hey there newbies," the boss said, spinning in his rolling chair. "I've got you a mission."

"Rather straightforward," Camo and Espio grumbled. Wait- C and E grumbled? We all looked over to them, and they gave us strange looks in return.

"How does ice cream make you feel?" I asked Camo.

"Happy."

"..."

"We're not robots you know," Espio said. "We just prefer not to be too emotional."

Well. This was about as groundbreaking as a Haitian earthquake.

"Anyway," the boss said, not liking being interrupted. He was actually only two year older than me, half a head taller, and a lot more demanding. His hair was naturally blond, unlike mine, which seemed permanently dyed to my dismay. I was going to get him for this...

...

Get who?

"We've got some unidentified mutants outside of the underground, right over our heads," he told us. "A team of six fighting off a bunch of blenders."

"Blenders?" I asked with curiosity. "What's a blender?"

"Early versions of us," Espio came in. "More chameleon than human, though. Most of them have a large chunk of sanity missing."

"Ah, that's right," the boss said. "You're new here. Well, here's what we've got on 'em- Humanoid creatures with scales, about eight feet tall each. They can make themselves completely blend in with their surroundings- they don't just change their color, they flat out disappear. They're quick on their feet in any terrain, with claws capable of adapting to any surface whenever they desire. And those claws can also be powerful weapons. One last thing- watch out for those tongues. They can either whip you senseless or swallow you whole with them."

We all shuddered at the thought of being swallowed whole by a giant lizard.

"So go up there and help fight those blenders, then find out if this team of six are allies or enemies. Kill them if they're enemies."

"Hey!"

We turned to see where the voice was coming from as Leroy flew into the room, looking angry as heck.

"I'm more suited to this kind of job than they are!" he shouted. "I've been here longer, I can fight better and fly faster. You know it!"

"Leroy," the boss said, glaring at him. "You only fight when you have to. We can't send everybody out at once or we'll be defenseless."

"Yeah, but-!" I noticed that he hadn't mentioned that he prefers to be called Alpha.

"He can come with," I said, turning back to the boss. "If that's alright with you."

"I don't want to come 'with!'" Leroy shouted angrily, once more. "I can handle this on my own!"

"If you go, you go with them," the boss said firmly. "There'll be no objecting that point."

He fumed, but he agreed to come with us in the end. When the pack was leaving, Leroy in front, the boss pulled me aside.

"Keep an eye on Leroy," he told me. "We've had to save his butt from plenty of blenders in the past."

"Can do," I said, turning to leave before pausing. "You don't happen to have a pager, do you? I mean, those are a lot of stairs..."

"You mean the escalator?" he asked me. "No to the pager, but those 'stairs' have an on button you know. How do you think Leroy got p here so fast?"

Well, now I just felt stupid.

"Press the button for the escalator and go topside," he told me. "Finish your mission then come back, got it?"

"Got it."

3-3-3-3-3

"Max, I'm getting tired," Gazzy panted, punching wildly at another invisible adversary. "H-How many left?"

"Can't tell," I responded, ducking just as a hug transparent claw whooshed over my head. I swing it's legs out from under it , making it reappear, before kicking it in the side of it's head. It was a huge, dark green lizard, with two wide open yellow eyes on opposite sides of its face. They were tough, ugly things, and there were a lot of them.

"Hate to be pessimistic," Fang grumbled. "But we could really use a non-traitorous Nick right now."

"Hey!" Nick called over to us.

No way.

I turned in astonishment as Nick and his pack jumped out from under the ground, a hole closing under the before they joined the fray. It didn't take long for us to have a whole bunch of knocked-out chameleons everywhere.

"You may thank me later," some guy with goggles and a green shirt said.

"Um, we can't thank you now?" Nudge asked, frowning. "How come?"

"Doesn't matter," I dismissed him, looking over to Nick and his pack.

"Whew!" Nick said, his black coat absent, I noticed. He was in a pair of jeans and a blue shirt now. "Some party, huh?"

"Nick," I breathed, walking over to him. The pack all looked away, trying to avoid eye contact, as I walked towards them.

"Yeah?" he said before pausing. "How do you know my name?"

_It's me, Max._

"Oh," he said with surprise after I spoke into his head. "Hi."

"You remember us, right Nick?" Angel asked, walking up beside me.

"Yeah, dude, how's it going?" Iggy said, joining me with a lopsided grin that just screamed mischief.

" ... Should I know you?" Nick asked with confusion.

"It's better they don't," Christina butted in, walking over to Nick and glaring at me. "They wanted to kill you, probably still do now."

"Hey, shut up," Fang said, giving Christina an emotionless expression- what'd you expect?- "We don't want to kill him now, so back off."

"I'm having some déjà vu feelings right now..." Nick said in a bewilderment.

"You shut up," Christina said with a growl, surprisingly unfazed by Fang's lack of expression. "You expect me to believe that after you kicked him out on his own? He got hit by a freaking train because of you."

"His head was obviously hard enough to take it," Fang said, smirking at Nick.

"Like yours isn't!" Christina was practically screaming now.

"Guys, guys!" Nick shouted over both of them. "What we have here is a failure to communicate. Now we are going to settle this like mature, responsible mutated youths."

"Iggy, Gaz, you better sit this one out," Sara said with a fake little sweet smile. They scowled at her, but said nothing otherwise.

"Alright, obviously we have a history that I've somehow forgotten," Nick said, looking over at the flock. "You're telling me that it was a good history, my pack's saying it was a bad one. Which is it?"

" ... Our history was good up until the end," I said, letting on no more.

"Actually, let's talk later," Nick said, gesturing to a tree. "Boss probably wants to see you.

"You're welcome," goggles-kid grumbled behind us.


	23. Chapter 23

Theanimeddude: Hello, mah loyail readahs.

Nick: Hi guys!

Fang: Yeah, whatever.

Theanimedude: Okay, goin' straight to the question this time- from Faxgoodness11.

Nick: Ooh la la.

Fang: Shut up.

Theanimedude: If you and Dylan were the only two people alive, would you kill him?

Fang: Yeah, probably.

Theanimedude: Alright, disclaimer.

Nick: Wait, no crazy scenario this time?

Theanimedude: Well, I'm a little empty as far as crazy scenarios go. I could have you two sing Thriller.

Nick and Fang: NO!

Theanimedude: Alright, alright, I get it. Maybe a flashback...

Nick: What kind?

Theanimedude: Maybe like the one time I gave you a machine gun with Skittles for ammo.

(Flashback)

Nick: TASTE THE FREAKING RAINBOW!

(End flashback)

Theanimedude: Heh heh heh.

Nick: ...

Fang: ...

Theanimedude: Alright, I'll just give you a little advice, how's that?

Nick: Alright.

Theanimedude: If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!

Nick: Who said that?

Theanimedude: Sen Tzu. I'm pretty sure he knows a little more about fighting than you do, guys, because he invented it. And then he perfected it so that no one could best him in the ring of honor!

Fang: ... Um-

Theanimedude: And then he used his fight money to buy two of every animal in the world, and then he herded them onto a boat, and then he beat the CRAP out of every one of 'em. And from that day forward, whenever there's a group of animals in one place it's called a zoo!

Nick: Fang? Disclaimer, please?

Fang: Hn, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and Nick. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

**Fang: Lack of reviews leads to death of kittens by the hand of Ari the Eraser who won't freaking stay dead.**

Theanimedude: Unless it's a farm!

3-3-3-3-3

"A flock of six human/avian hybrids, eh?" the guy who was apparently the boss asked, his eyes scanning over us. I nodded stiffly, wanting out of there. This place was a good two hundred feet underground at least, so it was pretty cramped- plus, we hadn't really expected to have to be thrown down a slide with enough twists and turns to make even a natural born flyer dizzy.

"And their dog," he continued, to which Total huffed with disgust. "Alright. Are you guys going to stay here and help us out or what?"

"Help you out?" I asked skeptically. "With what?"

"Fighting the school, what else?" he said casually, moving his hand carelessly through the air, as though to say "No big deal."

I looked around the office. Fang was giving me a steady look, one that showed me we were both thinking the same thing. Gazzy was nervously kicking lightly at the floor, making pebbles skid across it. Angel and Nudge were looking at me trustingly and Iggy was walking around the room, feeling the walls and trying to find escape routes in case things got ugly.

The boss guy noticed this and gave a chuckle. "Oh, you don't have to worry about trying to escape. The escalator's the only way out, and it's always available."

I let my gaze go back to him for a second, and then went back to my search. The room looked okay, except for the fact that it was really just rocks with lights in the ceiling.

Nick's little pack looked okay, to my relief. We'd kind of been missing Sara, who kept looking at us and then looking away, as though trying to figure us out. Kimmy and Kiki had a sort of... peppiness that rubbed off on us slightly when they were with us, and that had made us a little less stressed, but now they weren't even look at us.

Camo and Espio would every so often give me a look, but other than that they remained silent. Christina was glaring at Fang, and I could almost see smoke coming out of her ears. Still mad about they're little quarrel, and no doubt upset to be seeing us again after what we'd done to Nick. Speaking of him...

Nick was staring at me with interest, not looking away even when we made eye contact. You know how when you look at somebody for just a second, they look right at you, and then you feel uncomfortable and look away? Well, that wasn't happening with Nick. Granted, I was glad he was alright and that he wasn't trying to kill us as of right that second, but still, I had to constantly avert my gaze from him.

"No thanks," I said bluntly. "We can't stay anchored to one place right now."

"And why not?" the boss guy asked, and his eyes made chills run down my spine. Something seemed off about him.

"We have other, more important things to do," I said, congratulating myself for not stuttering. "Things that don't involve other people telling us what to do."

"We're working for the same cause," he pressed on irritatingly. "It'd be wise of us to join forces."

"Don't waste your time on her, boss," Christina said, her glare moving to me now. "She's too bullheaded to change her mind. Let her put herself in danger, rather than out us in danger, hm?"

"Hey," I said, turning to her with anger. "I'm sorry to say that instead of being cooped up underground, hiding and making little mercenary strikes now and then, just trying to stay alive, doesn't cut it for us. We're working towards a real goal here, and we don't want to change it."

"Your 'real goal' is going nowhere," Christina said, her glare holding steady, as was her voice. "You can look for your parents and sit around happily all you like IF you make any progress- which you won't- but we're actually fighting for a real cause. Fighting for mutants. Fighting for your ungrateful butts."

"Hear, hear!" Camo and Espio said together.

"Excuse me?" I said, stepping up to the plate, because I could tell this wasn't going to end cleanly. "Are you trying to convince us we should join, or what?"

"No. But you're working towards a cause that only benefits you. We're working towards one that benefits thousands. Be productive. Do something worthwhile."

"Where do you get off telling US to do something worthwhile?" I retorted, my anger flaring, and I felt the flock all take a step back behind me. "Maybe we're fine with helping ourselves. Maybe we're fine with leaving you alone. Maybe we're fine with trying to save the world."

"Save the world?" Sara asked, finally actually looking at me. "Since when?"

My cheeks flushed as I realized I'd given up some important information. "Um, well-"

"Oh, right," Christina said, her anger never subsiding. "If you were really trying to save the world, you would've kept Nick with you!"

"We had no choice! He was going to kill us!" I shouted, my embarrassment forgotten.

"Do you know how much you hurt him?!"

"Obviously not much, because he doesn't remember us at all!"

"He got hit by a freaking train! What do you expect?!"

"He had no trouble remembering you," I pointed out, taking a step closer to her.

"Maybe we were more important to him," she said with snideness, stepping closer to me.

"Please, we gave him a life. We've kept him alive and away from the school for the longest time." Another step.

"And yet as soon as he leaves, you need him to save you again." Another step from her.

"We've kicked his butt too, you know! We don't need him!" Step.

"Good, because he doesn't need you!" Step. We were practically toe to toe now.

"Obviously. He's just an ungrateful moron anyway, right?"

"Smart enough to leave you!"

"Dumb enough to STAY with you!"

"Smart enough to live without you!"

"Dumb enough to live WITH you!"

"Smart enough to kill all of you whenever he wants!"

"Dumb enough to never try!"

"Smart- Agh!"

Suddenly, we were both blown to opposite walls by powerful gales of wind- UNDERGROUND. I looked over to Nick, who along with his little African-American twins, had his arms outspread.

"Enough!" he shouted, and everybody looked to him with sudden fear. "Whatever we do we do NOT kill each other over little things! Christy, I'm sorry, thanks for sticking up for me, but is she really worth it?"

Half of me was thinking, "Ha, Christina." And the other half was thinking "Heeeeey!"

"Max," he said, turning to me with a cold gaze. "You do whatever you want. You come and stay with us, you go accomplish your own goals. But if you cross us, you deal with me, whether you're fighting one of the pack, one of the underground, or me. In the meantime, keep your anger towards me to yourself. I don't appreciate it."

My jaw dropped. Since when had Nick become the leader type? He was always asking me what we should've been doing, and now...

"Are you staying, or are you leaving?" Nick asked with unintentional harshness in his voice, walking over to me.

"Leaving," I croaked as the pain from clashing with the cave wall finally registered. "Owwww..."

"Alright," he said, pushing in on my stomach suddenly, healing me in that slightly invasive way he had. "Then leave."

He went to tend to Christina's wounds, and I looked at him... I guess sorrowfully.

"You can't tell us you don't remember us at all," Fang piped up, making Nick turn towards him.

"I don't," he said simply. "And I don't need to from what I've heard."

"Have you heard that Max meant the world to you?" he asked, making me blush- again. Wow, twice in five minutes, bad day for me.

"I've heard it," he told him, his arms crossed as he looked at him. "But obviously it holds no merit to remember, considering that the person that apparently meant the world to me tried to kick me out and kill me."

"You started it," Fang continued, and even he seemed slightly fazed by Nick's tone.

"If I had half a mind, I'd end it now," Nick told him, letting one hand fall to his side, and extending his other one towards us. It suddenly began to crackle with some sort of red light, which seemed to roar at us angrily. It was the Merciless, I realized.

"You stay out of our lives," Nick continued. "Or I'll put you out of YOUR lives."

" ... Why not?" Fang asked randomly. "Because of... you know what?"

"If you'll let go of me and never speak to me again, I'll say yes," Nick said just as randomly, before his hand went to his mouth with surprise, the red light disappearing.

"She knows who you are, too," Fang continued. What was going on...?

"Yeah, well, unlike me, you haven't tried to kill her and also unlike me, you wouldn't kill her."

"Well, that wasn't your fault either," Fang kept going. I caught on when I realized that had been something he'd said after the one time we hospitalized Nick. "It was Ari's."

Nick nodded slowly, before shaking his head and grabbing hold of it. "Shut up!"

"Well, Gazzy forgave you, why shouldn't I?" Iggy asked Nick.

Nick smiled and went to shake Iggy's hand before grabbing his own head again. "Shut up!"

"Thank you," Gazzy said, and I looked over to him with surprise.

"What?" Nick asked.

"You saved my sister."

"Stop it!" Nick shouted. "All of you, stop!"

"What other gifts do you have?" Nudge asked strangely.

"Uh, well, I fly really fast, I read minds- hey, stop!"

"It's when a group of musicians get together and perform for a lot of people for money," Angel said.

"So we're hearing people playing their music for people that paid to see them?" his hand went to his head once more. He seemed to be in some sort of pain, like remembering things was too much for him. I knew what was being done, so I thought I'd give it a clincher, walking up to him and wrapping him in a hug. Everybody stared at me with shock, and Nick froze on the spot.

"Don't you ever leave us again," I said, just like the one time on top f the building in New York. "You hear me?"

"Loud and clear, sis," he told me, returning the hug before pushing me away and clamping both hands on his head. "G-Gah..."

I used our mind link and went to that timeline I talked about before, and saw all the static-covered parts be replaced with the actual memories slowly. Everything came back to him at once except for one thing. I looked at the very last thing he remembered about the flock to hear Fang say "We have to kill Nick."

I looked back at Nick, now in the real world instead of inside of his head, to see him on his hands and knees, panting. Eventually, he looked up at us.

"You still want to kill me," he whispered. "You still would kill me. All because of the Merciless."

"Nick," I whispered, only to be cut off by him.

"Leave. Leave right now," he said coldly, his glare looking... evil, almost.

"Nick, at least let me talk with you," I said, walking over to him.

" ... Fine," he whispered, walking out of the room, slamming the door open. When he did, I heard a loud "D'oh!" followed by a quiet thump. What?

I followed him out and looked where the door had been open to see that one goggles boy lying on the ground, knocked out.

"That's what you get for eavesdropping," I muttered.


	24. Chapter 24

Theanimedude: I'm back.

Nick: He's back.

Fang: We're back.

Theanimedude: Who's bored?

Nick: You're bored.

Fang: We're bored.

Theanimedude: Who writes?

Nick: You write.

Fang: We- wait!

Theanimedude: HA! Knew I could make you stop!

Fang: Oh, whatever.

Theanimedude: Okay, question for the whole beach- I mean-

Nick: He's got the whooole beach in his pants!

Theanimedude: FLOCK! I MEANT FLOCK, DANG IT! QUESTION FOR THE WHOLE FLOCK!

Nick: Oh, okay. Guys! Come on out!

Flock: What?

Theanimedude: From BlackAngelWings1010: If Max and Fang get married, invite me or I'll jkidnap you! Mwahahahahahahaha!

Flock: (Jaws drop)

Max: (Blushes profusely)

Fang: (Busts a gut laughing)

Nick: Um...

Theanimedude: What does "jkidnap" mean?

Nudge: Um, if Max and Fang DO get married-

Max: Nudge!

Nudge: -we'll invite you, BlackAngelWings. Promise.

Fang: (rolling on ground laughing)

Max: (Tackles Fang) YAAAAAGH!

Nick: Catfight!

Theanimedude: Nick, disclaimer?

Nick: Hn, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Next chappie, mah loyail readahs!

Theanimedude: Nick, don't say hn.

Nick: Awwww...

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 24

"So what did you want to talk about?" Nick asked briskly, leaning against the cave/room wall. This was the room that he and Christina were sharing, and it wasn't much more than a cave with a pair of twin beds in the corner. There was a dresser on one wall with a candle on top of it that lit when Nick snapped his fingers.

"Us."

"What's there to talk about?" Nick asked, snorting. "You loved me, you kicked me out, end of story. Well, that's the way it should be."

"What?"

"Max, you came back," he said, his cold gaze catching me off guard. "Why?"

" ... We want you back with us," I said tentatively. He snorted again, looking away from me.

"And?"

"... And that's it," I said, slightly surprised. "We just want you to come with us, to help us out."

"Why?"

"Why?" I asked, now appalled. "Because we miss you! Because we hate that you forgot about us! Because..." I didn't know what else there was to say.

"Max," he said with disappointment, like he was talking to a misbehaving child or something. "If that were all true, you wouldn't have kicked me out in the first place."

"You want us to die?!" I yelled at him. I hate it when people talk down to me. Hate. It. "You want us to just throw ourselves into a fire, is that it?!"

"No," he said, glaring at the wall behind me, like I wasn't even there. Oh, there's something else I hate. "You know that that demon's like the match for that fire. It can light the fire in the right places or the wrong places. But it's all up to the person with the match."

"What?"

"The Merciless can hurt you with its powers, but I can protect you from them. I control it as long as I control my emotions."

"You sure did well controlling your anger when you attacked us."

"That was a long time ago," he told me. "Before I even knew what it really was. Now I do."

"Not that time," I said, frustrated. "The time a few days ago."

"A few days ago I flew away from you when I heard Fang say you were going to kill me. I was fighting Cato and listening to Christy," he said, cocking an eyebrow at me peculiarly.

"Don't act like you don't remember!" I shouted at him, and his eyes flashed.

"I remember leaving when you threatened to kill me that day. Nothing more."

"Well believe it or not, you tried to kill us," I told him. "You can't blame it on us when you're the one that attacked.

"If I had really tried to kill you, you wouldn't be alive right now." He stated the fact so simply, as though he'd been telling me it was raining. "Besides, if anybody's at fault here, it's you. You broke the pact. Not. Me."

"Pact-" Then I remembered. One time when we were in New York, we'd been resting on the shores and we'd made a promise to each other. The promise was that we would never leave him as long as he never left us. He was bawling like a baby at the time due to- get this- a freaking nightmare about losing me. He'd, then, had a pathological fear of losing me, but now...

"So the just of it is that you want me back," he asked me, shrugging his shoulders. "But coming with you would be about as good a choice as leaving Kiki and Kimmy to be babysat by a pedophile."

"W-What?"

"So you get me back," he said, holding one hand out. "You get my powers. You give me the happiness of being with the people I loved. Then what? As soon as things go awry, you kick me out again? Break my heart open like a freaking shotgun and flit away, then come back and ask for my help when you want it?"

He snorted again, holding his other hand out. "Or, we can just agree to leave each other alone, and you can do your thing and I'll do mine. I get to stay in peace with the people I love; you get to stay with yours. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the better option."

"You're one of the people I love, though," I said as a totally unguarded last-ditch effort. "We won't kick you out again, I swear, Nick."

This was the part where he admitted how much he loved us- loved me. This was the part where he and his ragtag little pack joined us again. This was the part where everything became right again, and where all of us became happy again. The happily ever af-

"Loving's not enough," he told me harshly, walking past me without sparing me even a small glance. "Not when you get rid of me at the first sign of danger. I love you too, Max. But I won't go with you again if it means all that pain again."

"I-"

"Do you know what it was like?!" he shouted, suddenly furious, as he turned back to me. "I was literally falling the freak apart! I was being wounded in places that were never touched! I couldn't fly, couldn't run, heck, walking was a pain! I limped along a railroad track for days before I got hit by a freaking train! NOTHING is worth that! You're asking me to go with you until you make me go through that again?!"

"We aren't going to!" I yelled at him, trying not to shriek. "What makes you think we're going to?! Huh?!"

"The fact that you've already done it," he told me. "And the fact that I can't control it as long as I'm with you. Here, though, I'm the backbone. I lead my own group. I fight for myself. And I know what I need to do to keep things right."

"And going with you," he finished, turning back to the door and leaving. "Won't keep things right."

"And just what is right, Nick?" I asked him, glaring at his back. "You're not thinking about what's right for everyone."

"I'm through thinking about what's right for you," he told me, not turning around. "Because you obviously don't care about what's right for me."

3-3-3-3-3

As I walked back into the boss's office, glaring at nothing in particular, everybody's heads turned to me.

"Leave," I said to the flock. "Now."

"What?" Fang looked at me threateningly before I paralyzed him.

"And take your statue with you," I said, walking over to the wall next to my pack and leaning against it.

"How'd it go?" Christy asked me.

" ... Relatively well," I told her, waving my hand through the air. "Considering how else it could have gone."

Max stomped into the room childishly, grabbing Fang, dragging him out of the room and shouting back "Let's go!"

Angel looked at me remorsefully before she followed after the others that were leaving.

"Good riddance," I muttered as the door closed behind her.

"I'm glad," Christy whispered. "You did what was right for you..."

She knew me so well.

"New mission?" I asked nonchalantly, hugging Christy to me.

"No, not right now," the boss man said tiredly. "You're free to do what you like."

"Alright," I said, turning to back to our room. "You know where to be, right guys?"

"Yup," the pack chorused.

"Then see ya at ten."

3-3-3-3-3

Christina leaned against my chest, looking up at me from my lap. "So what happened?"

"Hm?"

"When you were talking with Max," she kept going. "What'd you tell her?"

"Just that I didn't want to go with them," I responded.

"We're finally alone," she whispered, and I blushed a little.

"Erm, yeah..."

She leaned up and kissed me, and I willingly returned it. Man, it felt good. Nothing can compare, I'm serious. We kept at it until we were breathless, and she lay down on the bed beside where I was sitting.

"What're we going to do for the rest of the night?" she in a whisper. I instinctively looked for Gazzy's watch before I shook my head and looked at the clock on the wall. Five o' clock.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Sleep?"

"You're tired?"

"No, not really."

" ... What about that boss guy?" she asked me. "I've been getting weird vibes from him."

"Yeah, but Rick trusts him," I pointed out. "Oh, that reminds me, I need to ask Rick something."

"Okay," she said, rising to her feet. "What'ch you gonna ask him?"

"About what one of those erasers said to you that one night," I said. "'We're going to take you back to the school and then decide what to do with you.' And yet they said they were against the school. So, which side are they really on?"

Christy stared at me for a second before nodding, a determined expression coming on her face. "Let's go."

I nodded back, leaving the room, headed to the even room.

Remember a little while ago I said there was an even room down there? It's really an event room, but the t won't light up on the neon sign for it. I find it funny that the neon sign and light work in the boss's office, but we needed candles in every room. More fishy stuff...

Anyways, the even room had a stage for different types of performances, and there were some erasers on top of it sparring. It was big enough for the stage and like, maybe two thousand people. There was nothing specific going on, so there weren't many mutants there. That made it a lot easier to pick out Rick.

"Hey Rick," I shouted over to him. He looked at me from the wall he was leaning on, reading a book, and smiled, walking over.

"What're you reading?" Christy asked him.

"James Patterson," he said, holding up the book. "They're hilarious."

"Are they?" I asked, before I remembered there were more pressing matters to be dealt with. "Never mind, never mind- What's the school?"

"You mean you've been fighting against it all this time and you don't know what it is?" Rick asked, eyeing me peculiarly.

"No, no," I said, shaking my head. "Remember that little mix-up when you guys were attacking Christy?"

"Well, yeah, that's how we met."

"Well, one of the eraser's that attacked her said that they were going to take her back to the school and then decide what to do with her." Rick looked at us for a second before sighing and beckoning for me to follow him as he turned and walked down a hallway.

When we did, he wouldn't turn to talk with us. We walked up a few flights of stairs that weren't escalators, and when we finally reached the top, Rick turned to us with the most serious look I've ever seen.

"You stay quiet," he commanded. "You walk behind me. You do just like the people around you until I say the safety word. The safety word is ... you know what, I'll just say it's safe."

Christy and I nodded slowly, unsure of what awaited us on the other side of the door. Rick reached slowly for the knob, twisting it even slower before the door opened.

"Oh my lord," I whispered as we walked in, Rick giving me a clear 'shut up' look before walking forward. The room was more of a hallway than a room, slender and with one door at the opposite wall, and was stacked to the ceiling along the two walls without doors with dog crates, all filled with mutants. Any kind of mutant you can imagine; most of which looking like they wouldn't last through the night.

We remained silent as Rick had said, walking to the door on the other side of the room to reveal another room just like this one. I saw things that scared the life out of me, and that's saying something. Let's just say that if these 'genetic failures' had been the exact inverse of what they were, they would have been invincible creatures with lifespans longer than the planet's existence. But they were weak, hopeless creatures, all wondering what they had done wrong.

_Why are we here?_

_Why does it hurt so much?_

_When will we eat again?_

_Where's my mommy?_

I had to put a hand to my mouth to keep from making a sound. As we walked through some of the later rooms, we passed whitecoats that ignored us as though we were amongst their ranks.

Eventually, Rick opened a door, closing it behind us when we got through it, and we went down another few flights of stairs.

"Alright," he whispered. "It's safe."

"What the heck was that?!" I shouted at him, enraged. "Why the heck are we allowed in there?! Why would you show us this?!"

"The boss suggested we get some spies in there and have them say that the underground is a huge storage unit for mutants," he said with hardness in his voice. "So that we could get close to them, maybe draft some guys into our army. But we ended up getting mixed up. Some mutants that have come down here we've had to kill. Others joined us. But we haven't ever heard back from a spy. We're planning on destroying that place tomorrow. There are too many risks in leaving it standing."

"All of those mutants-" Christy broke in only to be interrupted.

"They're dispensable. We can deal without them."

"And?!" I shouted at him. "Just because they're there doesn't mean they have to die!"

"They're better off dead," Rick told me. "In case you didn't notice, they were in pain."

"Pain we can end!" I continued to yell at him. "We can, break them out, fix them up! Give them the LIVES they deserve to be allowed to live!"

"That's not in the boss's script," he said coldly, his eyes never leaving the ground. "We stray from the script, we die."

I hadn't been able to read the boss man's mind at all. I got a bad vibe when I was around him, though. He wasn't a cool guy, of that I was certain.

"Then maybe you need a new boss," I said, a new determination settling within me. "He's not making the best decisions for everybody. Everybody matters."

"What?"

"I'll be the new leader," I said, feeling the rightness in what I was saying. "I'll carry us onward to victory. AND I'll save those that fate has dealt a bad hand."

"Are you crazy?" Rick asked incredulously, in a whisper.

"Nope," Christy said with a smile as we turned to go see the big guy. "He's insane!"

"And sanity is overrated!" I shouted over my shoulder.


	25. Chapter 25

Theanimedude: I'm back- again.

Nick: Yup.

Fang: Hnnnnn.

Theanimedude: ...

Nick: Question?

Theanimedude: Oh. Right.

Fang: Hnnnnn.

Theanimedude: From BlackAngelWings1010, for Gazzy.

Gazzy: Yeah?

Theanimedude: Gazzy: Why do you think Nudge is so hot? (I've got mindreading abilities and right now you're thinking- "How'd she know?")

Gazzy: WHAT?!

Nick: (snorts)

Gazzy: Iggy! You spoke of it!

Iggy: Agh! (runs away)

Nick: (full-blown laughter)

Theanimedude: I own Sara and Nick. I also own Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Fang: Hnnnnn.

Nick: (still laughing)

Gazzy: (murderous screams)

Iggy: (screams of pain)

Nudge: Hey guys, I- (looks around) (slowly turns around and walks out)

Theanimedude: LOL. ROFL, I said LOL. Sorry about the late update... and short chapter... but I wanted to get something uploaded.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 25

"Hey!" I shouted as I barged into the room, the door crashing against the wall behind me. "We need to talk."

The boss man looked at me funny, before shaking his head, considerably unfazed by my sudden entrance.

"This oughta be good," he muttered. "What do you need, Nick? Christina?"

Christy and I walked right up to his desk and I braced my palms on top of it. "I lead now."

"We want what's best for all of us," Christy said. "And you're not it."

"What do you mean?" he asked me nonchalantly, obviously not as shocked as I'd anticipated.

"The attack on the school," I said, laying my cards on the table riskily. "You don't care who dies as long as you win, do you?"

He stared at me without a word, not even the slightest bit of nervousness on his brow.

"How do you know about that?" he asked me slowly.

"I can read minds, you moron," I stated simply. "Plus- freaking huge staircase out in the open. Obviously it leads somewhere." I was trying my hardest to not even vaguely allude to the fact that Rick had led the way for us.

"Oh, so you can read minds, can you?" he asked, examining his desk. He fumbled around in a drawer suddenly before pulling out a small bottle of pills.

"What are you-?"

"Oh, these? Help my memory, and... I forget what else." There was some irony in there...

"Don't try to distract me!" I said, shaking my head and glaring at him morbidly. "Now are we gonna have problems here, or are you gonna grant me leadership?"

He threw his head back and tossed a handful of pills down his throat, gulping some bottled water right afterward. He looked at me, and the unsettling feeling I got whenever we made eye contact hit me. He looked over to Christy, and she backed up a couple steps.

"Alright," he said, his eyes returning to me. "So you want my job. Why?"

"So that nobody has to die," I told him, shifting.

"Everybody dies, Nick. In the end, nobody can live forever."

"Doesn't mean they have to be killed early," Christy interjected.

"Oh, thank you!" I said, sighing with relief. "Somebody with sense!"

"You're talking to me," the boss said forcefully, and my head immediately turned back to him. "Why shouldn't I say when people lower than me die?"

"What makes them lower than you?" I asked, avoiding the question. I shook my head again and saying "Hey! You admitted it! You're just killing people off!"

"They aren't useful."

"Let's say you're not useful!" I shouted, seizing control of the conversation before he could get me off balance again. "I'll kill you right here!"

"That goes against what you're saying," he told me.

"Like I don't know that!"

"Calm down," he said, never losing his nonchalant disposition. "We need to settle this maturely, hm? You and me need to fight each other one on one."

"Fine by me!"

"And we'll do it with guitars."

" ... What?"

"Guitars," he said simply, making a strumming motion as he stood up. "We could call it a guitar battle. Everybody in the underground can watch and see who loses. The loser... you, that is, will be killed after the event."

"What do guitar skills have to do with leadership?" Christy asked, and she had a point.

"Afraid your boyfriend'll lose?" the blonde asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Can you even play?" she asked me, and I eyed her with surprise. Had I never played for her?

"We need to edumucate you," I said, looking back to the boss guy.

"Midnight. Through the Fire and Flames," he said, standing and smirking at me. "The Even room. Don't disappoint me."

He left the room, off to devil knows where.

"Are you crazy?!" Christy screamed, throwing her hands up. "You just gambled your freaking life on a guitar battle!"

"I'll win."

"Have you ever heard of that song anyway?!"

"I have a knack for learning things on a dime."

"This isn't a dime here, Nick," she shouted, tears at her eyes. "This is your life!"

I hugged her to me, the last thing she expected, before whispering. "It's fine. I can win this, no problem. I'm going to save those poor mutants- and I'm going to live. Trust me."

3-3-3-3-3

"That freaking traitor!" I shouted at the sky, and Fang lifted a hand as I punched it.

"Easy, easy," he muttered. "I'm still hurt a little, you know."

I'd woke him up earlier by punching him the gut, which put him right out of that weird trance thing that Nick did.

"Whatever!" I said, punching his hand again. "At least you can take it! He can't take a-"

"He took a lot," Fang interrupted me. "He deserves a chance out."

"So now you're on his side?!"

"No," Fang reasoned, dodging me this time as he anticipated my growing rage. "But I can understand him. I mean, he's worked his tail off for us for a little while, and besides his little outbursts, he's been pretty loyal. No matter what, he feels betrayed, as do you."

"Stop talking," I commanded, though I knew he was right. "Whatever."

"Is that your favorite word now?" Iggy asked me.

"Shut up!"

He just smiled slightly before we took off. We were going to be spending the night in a hotel, the seven of us. We missed that pack more than anything, though. Nick, of course, had been kind of cold in the end, and denied our request for his collaboration. So now we had seven less people with us, and six less animals too. It sucked.

"What do you think he's doing?" Fang asked me, his wings almost blending in with the strangely starless sky.

"Something entirely pointless," I retorted.

"I don't know, Max," Angel said, clutching Total to her chest protectively. "He seemed like he had some sort of game plan."

"Whatever."

"Max?" The Gasman piped up, and learning from my past mistakes, I looked to him on the first try.

"Yeah Gazzers?"

"I think we have company," he said ominously as he looked up. We all followed suit and figured out immediately why the stars were absent.

"Erasers!" I shouted unnecessarily as the whole sky seemed to fall. Black erasers were coming down from the sky, eyes red and teeth bared.

These weren't just black- they seemed to be like, glowing black. As my vision adjusted, I could clearly see that little streams of black... something were flowing out of their elbows. Those red eyes were abnormal as well.

"Guys!" I shouted at the flock. "Be on your guard! These aren't our regular erasers!"

"We aRe dEMons!" they seemed to scream, their voices rising and falling randomly. They sounded as though they were in pain as well as infuriated. It sent shills down my back.

"yOU arE aN OBsTaCle!" they screamed. "YoU musT DIe!"

"Am I the only one here that's majorly freaked?" Iggy asked nervously. "I can't tell where they all are!"

There were so many that their voices WERE coming from everywhere. If we got out of this alive, There'd have to be some sort of miracle in the works.

Sigh. Everybody knows what happens next, right? Say it with me-

"Nick?!" I shouted as he fell from the sky, surrounded with electricity, effectively disintegrating a good deal of the eraser/demon/things.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "In a bind again, eh?"

"Why do you keep-"

"I'm not doing this alone," he said, cutting me off. "I don't have the time. But I do have time to help out. So let's kill these things!"

"Weaknesses?" Fang asked him as we flew towards our crazy attackers.

"Light and pain!" Nick responded, his hands crackling with white-hot electricity. "One hit should finish 'em, and light immobilizes them. So I'll give the light and strikes where I can, you take them out!"

He really was a leader now.

He moved around, and the electricity he was holding seemed to form a pair of wind and fire wheels (Read about them in history class. Nice little Chinese weapons.) and everywhere he flung them, the demon erasers- Derasers? Yes, I AM clever, faithful readers- were either paralyzed or turned into dissipating black spheres before they disappeared altogether.

We all pitched in, kicking at the derasers whenever we could, chopping at them, Iggy and Gazzy bombing them, and yet they still kept coming. Nick was literally levitating with electricity, flinging it around in such a controlled way that he followed it after launching it. He only came behind each of us, darting around quickly and killing the ones in our blind spots. We'd spread out a fair deal, and it took longer each time for him to reach one of us. It kind of hit its peak when he almost bowled Nudge over when he killed the ones closing in on her.

"Alright, stop spreading out!" he shouted demandingly. "They're after you, not me! If you're all in one place, I can take them all out before any of you get even scratched!"

We obeyed, slowly moving backwards towards each other, fending off the derasers all the while, until our backs touched one another's. With that, Nick flew up over our heads as we knocked them out, and the whole area seemed to light up with a dim blue light. I looked up to see that there was literally a series of streams made of blue electricity forming a net that surrounded us and the derasers. It was... actually pretty beautiful.

"Check!" he shouted as the electricity suddenly all moved to accumulate in one spot, where, I wasn't sure, taking out every single one of the new threat in glorious fashion. I looked at where Nick was standing in amazement as I realized that the electricity had only been going back TO him.

"Checkmate," he whispered, before looking at all of us, one by one, with concern. "Anybody hurt? Nothing broken?"

"We're all fine," I said, walking up to him and using my authoritative voice, making him smile with amusement. "Now, what are you doing here? And where's your pack?"

"Saving your butts again," he said nonchalantly, still smiling. "Pack's still underground."

"No, not- you know what I meant!" I almost yelled, frustrated. "I thought we were going to stay out of each other's lives? What's this about?"

"Fact is, Max," he said, before turning to acknowledge the rest of the flock. "Fang, Ig, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, you were going to die tonight if I had let you be. If it won't stop, there will be no future for us, and I fought by your side, ashes still burning."

... What?

" ... You don't really care for music, do ya'?" Nick asked with some disapproval.

"Leonard Cohen," I piped up. "That was Leonard Cohen."

"Meh, one out of three," he said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm not against you, even though I'm not standing by your side with every little thing I do. Basically, if I know you need my help, I'll step in, but right now I have a gig to get to."

"A-?"

"Yes, a gig. I'm gonna be in a... what was it, Angel?"

"Concert?"

"Yes! A concert, thank you."

"I don't-"

"Gotta run, guys. See ya later!"

And with that, he was gone with the- dare I say it?-wind.

" ... I don't understand why he won't stay with us," I whispered.


	26. Chapter 26

Theanimedude: Okay, before we have the question and the author's note, I'd like to say something to a certain avid reviewer of this story.

Fang: Hn?

Nick: Eh?

Theanimedude: Insane Scientist, or The Insane Scientist, I'm talking about you. Your review was totally unexpected in a lot of ways. But the way that it was least expected was that... It was absolutely right in pretty much EVERY aspect! Let me sum it up with as little spoilers as possible. The cold treatment from Nick- part of the plot. The selfish Christina-

Nick: Christy.

Theanimedude: - part of the plot. The whiny flock- part of the plot, and okay, I'll say this much, they freaking LOVE him, and they freaking want him back. The shifting characters- MOSTLY part of the plot. I'll admit I haven't put much emphasis on the little twins, but... I dunno, they're just not... I'm not as enthusiastic as I was about them from the beginning antmore. Sorry, Pennycat11. I'll try to make them exist more.

Okay, what else... The stealthers, as you call them- part of the plot. Sara can be brought more into the sytory, as I have excluded her. And- one last thing- who said anything about a bomb? And I hate to say this, but... really only one part of this review was out of line.

Now, I know you meant nothing by it, but... you're kind of handing out spoilers. The Nick and Christy thing, the Merciless thing, both true. Both part of the plot. Both supposed to be secret. So, yeah, I don't mean to be rude, readers, but please don't read The Insane Scientist's review on chapter 24 if you haven't already. I appreciate any and all reviews, but please please PLEASE try to avoid reviewing in any fashion that may lead to spoilers. I might just have to write it ALL before I upload anything, because if people's reviews are just going to TELL people what's going to happen, there's no suspense in waiting for my next upload.

I'm sorry if I sound rude, Insane Scientist. But just don't tell people my story, because I honestly feel like you got inside my head and learned the entire plotline. But I bet you don't know who Milly is!

Alright, enough requesting and apologizing. Question is from BlackAngelWings1010- again. Trying to get these all out of the way- for Max.

Max: Oh lord.

Theanimedude: Max: Do you want to have kids with Fang?

Max: No freaking comment.

Nick: Heh heh heh.

Fang: (eyes wide as bowling balls) Do you?

Max: (blushing madly) NO FREAKING COMMENT!

Theanimedude: Disclaimer! I own Sara and Nick. I also own Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Nick: Heh heh heh.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 26

"_Don't you dare die on me!"_

"_It all ends here!"_

"_Neither of us are going to win this."_

"_You lose, Tundra!"_

"_If you lay one hand on Max, I'll kill you!"_

I woke up with a start, a huge headache attacking me as soon as I rose. I hadn't dreamt images like I usually did when this sort of thing happened, but this time it was just a whole lot of voices. I couldn't really tell who was saying what, but it al seemed connected somehow.

Who was dying? What was ending? Neither of who were going to win what? Who was Nick losing to? And who had threatened who about me?

"Max," Angel whispered as I realized she was awake. She looked scared.

"What is it, baby?"

"Something bad's gonna happen soon."

What fresh heck was this?

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. But something really really bad is going to happen. That's what it feels like."

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" she whisper/shouted. She had tears at the corners of her eyes. "Something bad! I don't know what, I don't know when! But it's going to happen, and we're never gonna forget it!"

"Oh, Angel," I whispered, hugging her to me in the hotel bed we were sharing. "If we're not going to forget it, we're going to live through it, right? We'll be fine, whatever it is. And if it's the school, we'll just send them packing like always."

"Pack," she said, her eyes widening. "Whatever it is, it involves the pack!"

Oh, no. That led to a whole lot of possible conclusions, all horrible. Maybe Nick would go on a Merciless rampage? Maybe there was a spy amongst their ranks? Oh, or maybe that idiot Christina would come and try to kick my butt? I'd like to see her try. I can fly faster than she can run anyways. Or maybe-

Oh no.

"We'll talk later, honey," I whispered. "I need to sleep."

What if Nick died?

3-3-3-3-3

"Why isn't Christy here?" Sara asked me as we rounded another corner in the hotel. "She would've wanted to come."

"I wanted to spend time with you three," I told her with a smile.

"Awww!" Kimmy squealed.

"You're the bestest," Kiki told me, giggling.

"Am I?" I asked her, my smile broadening. "Well, thanks."

You might ask me why I'm at a hotel when I have a gig in about three hours. Well, I felt a disturbance in the force, so to speak. It felt like something bad was going to happen to the flock. The last time I'd seen them was when I kicked them out, and I'd treated them kind of coldly- but who cares? They wouldn't just take no for an answer. Besides, just because I acted cold doesn't mean I hate them or anything. I don't want them dying.

"Well, let's hurry," I said. "Max should be in this room right-"

I almost ran right into her as I turned again.

"Oh," I said, coughing. "Hey Max."

"Um, hi."

"How's the flock?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably. I wanted to see her, sure, but I felt a good deal of unease from meeting her face to face.

"Their... alright, I guess. Miss you."

"Of course they do."

She laughed drily, which was pretty strange considering what I'd said.

"What're you here for?" she asked me, her eyes finally meeting mine.

"I just wanted to warn you that something bad's probably going to happen soo-"

I paused.

"Wait... Max, something's up."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I can read minds and link with yours, and yet in this hotel room right here I'm reading your thoughts. There are two yous."

She stared at me for a second as realization settled upon me.

"What's your story, faker?" I asked as I put my hand on the back of her head in mock endearment, my expression going cold.

"I-I-"

Then, suddenly, all went black.

3-3-3-3-3

Max II sighed with relief as the boy slumped against her, pushing her off of him with disgust.

"Thanks," she muttered to an eraser, who just nodded, withdrawing the needle from  
Nick's side.

The trio of little girls following Nick were grabbed and thrown into a sack before they could scream, being knocked out by the chloroform inside it.

"Now," the clone whispered, opening the hotel room door. "Time to switch."

3-3-3-3-3

I woke upin a cage. New thing for me, honestly, I'd never actually been inside a cage before. Guess the school dorks learned better than to put me in an electric holding cell.

Alright, fake Max=bad. Me in cage=bad. Me having gig that I'm unable to get to=bad. So all in all, bad situation.

_Alright, the three girls were with me when I got knocked out, so odds were that they're here right now. I have to get out of this cage, find those three, and then get out without getting noticed. THEN I can be noticed, considering I'll be blowing this place all to heck._

I smiled to myself as I gently kicked open the cage (it wasn't even latched.) and crawled out with ease.

"Do they **want** me to escape?" I chuckled, before freezing and jumping straight to the ceiling. About fifty lasers beamed through the room, bouncing off the mirror-styled walls and ricocheting all over the room.

"Guess they caught me," I muttered, dropping down and nimbly avoiding the lasers as they zoomed around the room, already having decimated the ONE cage in the room- mine. They really had intended to kill me. Wasn't I valuable to them anymore?

And yes, I was thinking all this while dodging 80 mph lasers. Eventually I found my way to a door, after so much dodging, punching it down and letting myself out.

Of course alarms started buzzing, because – well, why wouldn't they?

_So much for my "escape quietly" plan._

Whitecoats and mutants stormed the halls, and I sighed before tearing my own path through them.

_Sara! Kimmy, Kiki, respond!_

_**We're here, big brother! **_

_Waah! The alarms are too loud!_

_Hang in there, girls. Where are you?_

_**How should we know?!**_

_Never mind, I'll find you, just wait for me._

I slashed my way through the mutants and whitecoats, my eraser claws razor-sharp and blood-stained.

"Anyone willing to tell me where the six-year-old and African-American twins are?" I asked as I kept going, ripping my hand through a wall and setting it ablaze. "No? Your loss."

Everybody around me was dying as I pinpointed the girls' location. I could tell where they were by where their minds were.

Eventually I rammed through another door, this one leading to a room where a whitecoat was hunched over something. He turned around, and I lifted him by his throat, looking at where he'd been hunched over.

I went stone still.

Sara was on a table, strapped down to it, blood turning the paper she laid upon red. Her head was turned to the side, and she was unconscious, her eyes half-lidded.

A butcher knife was laid beside her.

"You," I whispered, my rage hitting it's peak. "FREAKING-" I won't say what I said, as it's not quite suitable for some readers.

Needless to say, the guy died a slow, painful death. I unstrapped Sara quickly and put my ear to her chest. No heartbeat.

I let go of her, my legs buckling beneath me. I fell to the timed floor, my body unable to move, unable to comprehend what had just happened. My sister was dead.

My tears soiled the blood that had dripped onto the floor, and even as the outrage roared outside of the room and the sirens blared, I heard nothing.

"She was just alive," I choked out in disbelief, staring at the wall. "I just talked to her. I was just with her before. She couldn't have died so quickly..."

But she had. Her brown hair hanging off the table, her pale eyes even more pale now. I thought of the time I'd spent with her.

Sara sleeping with me outside.

Sara eating cookies.

Sara crying in my arms when it stormed.

Sara giggling when I ruffled her hair.

Sara fighting an elite striker by herself.

Sara helping us fight off an army of erasers.

Sara holding my hand on the way home from school.

Sara.

Sara.

Sara.

It took forever, but eventually the whitecoats found me in the room, snapping back to reality. I felt my blood boiling as they all took aim at me.

"Look at this!" I screamed in a hoarse voice. "Look what you've done! You killed her! And you just did it for fun, didn't you?! To satisfy your freaking "scientific curiousity!"

'Oh, I wonder if this little helpless girl will survive if we stab her with a butcher knife all over her body?!' You're all sick! And wrong! And-"

"Sacrifices have to be made, Nick," Anne said from in front of the crowd of mutants and whitecoats. "Nobody lives forev-"

"ROT IN HELL!" I shouted, cutting her off. I picked up the little body on the table. "SACRIFICES?! LITTLE GIRLS HAVE TO DIE?! YIU THINK YOU'RE GODS, DON'T YOU?! YOU THINK YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!"

"WELL GUESS WHAT?!" I shouted as I stepped towards them all. "YOU. CAN'T."

3-3-3-3-3

Anne got away, but everyone else in that place, excluding Kimmy, Kiki and I, survived. There were no other experiments there. The school had been designed for us and only us.

We solemnly carried Sara's lifeless frame back down to the underground. Christy was waiting for us with a warm smile when we got back, but her expression changed to concern and then dismay in less than five seconds.

I carried her silently back to the room where she'd once slept, lowering her onto her old bed. Her eyes still didn't open. Of course, they weren't going to.

"What happened?" Camo asked with genuine concern. He looked down to see Sara and shut up quickly.

I laid down beside her quietly, as though trying not to wake her.

"Hey, Sara," I whispered. "It's me, your big brother. I know you're just playing, right? You're going to pop right up and scare me, right? Well you already scared me enough, okay? You can wake up now."

"Nick-"

"I'm talking to Sara," I whispered to Christy. "sorry, in a minute. When Sara stops playing around, right?"

Nothing happened as Kimmy and Kiki tried to suppress dual waterfalls.

"Right Sara?" I whispered, quiter now, losing my playful tone.

Christy came up behind me and rubbed my back, a couple of her own tears hitting my back.

"Sara, you can't die!" I shouted, picking her up and hugging her to me, to which I received no reaction. "We've been through too much together! Even when the flock wasn't, you were there for me! I need you! I NEED YOU TO STAY WITH ME!"

Not a sound but the sobs from my pack and whimpers from the wolves. I had to accept it, no matter how hard it was. Sara was gone.

"I-I love you." Nothing.


	27. Chapter 27

Theanimedude: I need to rant now. Skip this author's note if you don't like it.

Nick: Oh no...

Theanimedude: Okay, by a show of hands, who here likes Christina's character? You know what, forget it, I can't see your hands.

Point is, to me, Christy was the ideal character. She was to be Nick's soul mate. She was going to be at least a LITTLE funny, very opinionated, and caring towards Nick. Now, here's where I try to understand other people's points of view- she cares mostly about Nick and steals his attention from pretty much everything else, granted. My explanation- it's all part of the plot.

Now here's where I ask you to understand me. I have had this plot planned since the very first chapter, all the way up to the end of the fourth installment. I have designed Christina for a specific reason. She fits into the plot.

MY. PLOT.

I have received private messages that have told me to kill Christy off if I killed Sara off. Sara's deatgh had purpose, killing Christina has no purpose that supports the plot. MY. PLOT.

About two or three reviews have complained about Christina being whiny or annoying, or stated that they'd rather have somebody else in them in the chapters. All part of the plot. MY. PLOT.

Frankly, this is my story. I can understand other people, and how they think, but the fact is- I am not those people. This is MY story, MY plot, and MY choice to write.

I understand that SOME people like my story but have their critique. But I am sick of hearing "OMG Christee sux butt" and "Christina should just die."

I know what I've said about flames- but just stop repeating the same complaint. This is the way I want things to be, and you're reading it. I'm not even in high school yet, but I know when I'm annoyed.

I can understand your critiques, but if anything from this point on has ANYTHING to do with Christina NOT involving compliments, you can kiss my- well, you get the point.

Those of you that had nothing to do with this, I'm sorry. And I'm kind of sorry to those who were, too. I tried to be tolerant of it and explain things quietly, but I'm tired of doing that. No more Christy comments.

Okay, now as for Sara's death, that held purpose. If you hate me for killing Sara off, I'm sincerely glad. It shows that you grew attached to MY character, not just some member of the flock, but a person dreamt up in MY mind.

Everything will be revealed in the unchanged plot. Please don't complain ablour what I've done, because I am too deep to change my mind about this now.

Theanimedude: Disclaimer! I own the dead Sara and Nick. I also own Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 27

"She... offered to cook breakfast," Fang said.

I was silent for about half a second before both of us busted a gut laughing.

Last few hours summarized- I get kidnapped and replaced with a clone. I escape and kick clone's butt. I rejoin my friends and we get the flock out of there. I'd just asked Fang how he knew that the clone was a clone.

"_I-I love you."_

We both froze as the walkie-talkie piped up from my backpack. It had been silent for a little while. There was not a sound other than quiet sobbing and some muffled static. Nick was shaking.

_Oh no, another one of his "I killed Max nightmares,"_ I thought to myself glumly. _Whatever. He doesn't need me._

"_I couldn't do it... I couldn't save her," _Nick whispered with grief. _"Why? WHY?!"_

His screams and the sobs from the other side grew louder. What was going on...?

Fang looked at me, and I knew he wanted to know the same thing.

_Nick? _I thought to him through our mind link. _It's me._

Some of the sobbing coming from the other side stopped, though it continued from other sources.

_Max?_

_Yeah?_

_... I love you._

I smiled slightly. Even though he'd left us, I'd never get tired of hearing that from my brother.

_So come back. Your wolves can come with us, plus you seven-_

_Six._

_What, do you not count Christina? Neither do I- _then I stopped as my brain started working.

"Max," Fang said to me, making a knocking motion beside my head. "You're pale."

_Why is it six, Nick?_

_She died. They killed her-_

_Who killed who?! _My heartbeat skyrocketed. Somebody important had died.

_The school. They killed-_

Another loud sob escaped the walkie-talkie before I heard a sound like a huge crash and debris falling to the ground.

_Nick?!_

_THEY GOT SARA! THEY KIDNAPPED HER, STABBED HER WITH A BUTCHER KNIFE ALL OVER HER BODY, AND THEN TOLD ME FREAKING SACRIFICES HAD TO BE MADE! SHE'S DEAD! THOSE FREAKS KILLED HER!_

Oh, no.

A howl of animalistic rage escaped the walkie-talkie, along with more crashing.

"_Nick! The whitecoat's are NOT the wall!"_

Christina's voice came through clearly, and she was also choked up.

"_Nick! Demorph right now! You aren't helping anything!"_

"_SARA! SARA! SARA!"_

I felt the ground tremor for a second before- you'll never believe this- Nick burst out of the ground, morphed, tears running down his moist, furry lupine face. Fang leapt up and shoved him into a tree, not knowing entirely what was going on, but smart enough to know that Nick was the only white eraser.

"Pull it together, man!" he shouted as Nick struggled against him. "Stop it!"

Nick flailed about wildly, his hand knocking down the tree he was trapped against, effectively freeing him. He fell to his knees and pounded the ground with his right fist repeatedly.

"What the heck is wrong with him?!" Fang asked me as the rest of the flock rose from their sleep. They even looked groggy after being awakened by a freaking tree collapsing.

"Sara died," I said simply, causing Nick to shake with mixed emotions. Anger, grief, confusion- a dangerous mix, especially from Nick.

"Why her?" he asked nobody in particular, his voice low and gruff due to his transformation. "Why is it always someone else? I can't be hurt. No matter what, nothing hurts me- it's always the people around me."

"Nick?" Angel said as she looked at him with fear in her eyes. He said nothing, but grabbed a splinter of the tree he'd demolished, about six inches long, and lethally sharp. What-?

My instincts made me leap toward him and grab his arm just as the wood barely broke the skin on his chest.

"Hey!" I shouted angrily, grabbing hold of his arm and neck simultaneously. He put up no resistance as a small trail of red poured down and stained his white fur. His shirt was in shreds, and looking at the hole he'd made, it was clear that some of it was lost to it.

"What would happen after you hurt yourself, huh?! You have a girlfriend who loves you! You have two toddlers who rely on you! You have us to worry about you! You kill yourself, you lose all of that! You want to lose all of that?! Is that it?!"

"No," he choked out, and I loosened my hold on his throat.

"You can't just get rid of yourself like that, Nick. There's too much you haven't done," Fang broke in, glaring, not exactly meanly, at him. "Stop wallowing in self-pity. You're tougher than that."

"SHUT UP!" Nick shouted, dropping the splinter and shaking free of me as he stepped towards Fang with a menacing snarl. "HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEONE IMPORTANT DIE IN FRONT OF YOU?!"

Fang took an involuntary step back.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOUR FACE IF ANYONE HERE DIES, FANG! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! YOU DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT I SHOULDN'T GRIEVE!"

"Grieve?" Iggy asked drowsily, having no clue what was going on. "Whaz' appenin'?

Nick backed away from Fang, his face stiff and still angered.

"It's my own fault," he said, turning around and walking away from Fang, who let out a breath he'd apparently been holding. "I couldn't do anything for her."

"You didn't do this," I told him as th smaller twins got to the top of the hole and joined us. "They did."

"Yeah," Kimmy agreed. "We have to show those big jerks that they can't pick on us anymore!"

Nick's eyes scanned each of us, before he turned and darted away.

"Where's he going?" Angel asked me, alarmed.

"Don't know. After him!" I shouted, climbing a tree and taking off, the others soon to follow.

"Can this be classified as really bad, Angel?" I asked her with a melancholy expression.

"Yeah," she whimpered, wiping her eyes as Total licked at her face. "But you know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"I still have a bad feeling."

3-3-3-3-3

I ran until I reached an empty field of grass, looking up at the sky through my bleary, tear-filled vision. I howled at the sky with every emotion I had begging to come out.

I swung my hand into the ground, blowing a crater into it as rocks and dirt flew everywhere. I ignited my hand with the Merciless and threw it in random directions, only standing in one place, rotating and randomly just punching the ground. I knew I was being childish, but I was too upset to care.

I yelped as I fell down off of my small bit of ground, rolling down into one of the craters I'd created in my senseless rage. I stood up slowly and threw my left arm into the bottom off the pillar of land that I'd fallen from, making it collapse into another pile of dirt, pebbles flying into me.

I gasped and panted, my fur caked with blood, sweat and dirt. What had once been a clean, fairly nice place was nothing more than a wasteland now.

A cold breeze blew through the air, making me shiver even through my fur and clothes' warmth. I sat down and pulled my jeaned knees up to my head, burying my face in them, my arms locking around my legs. I breathed slowly, trying to work up the resolve- and find a reason- to get back up.

"What the heck?" I heard Max's voice above me, maybe fifty feet up. I heard seven pairs of feet landing and a set of four paws right after.

"Leave you alone for five minutes," Max muttered as her footsteps stopped right behind me.

"Hey," Max whispered, kneeling down next to me. "You alright?"

"I will be," I said, lifting my head slowly. "Sara wouldn't want to see me like this anyway."

"That's good."

"I'm going to kill them," I said decisively. "Every last whitecoat shmuck on the planet. They'll all die by my hand. And it'd help to have an army."

I rose and demorphed, not caring that blood was running down my bare chest. I'd actually sunk the splinter in pretty deep, but whatever. It didn't matter. I had a gig to get to.

3-3-3-3-3

I'd never seen Nick acting as cold as he was when he said those words. I mean, yes, we hated the whitecoats, and we'd rather have them off our backs, but he seemed determined to kill all of them.

"Whaddaya think he's gonna do?" Gazzy asked. His eyes were wide and trusting even as he yawned.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Hopefully nothing stupid."

"Yeah," Iggy muttered. "Like wake us up in the middle of the night."

"THAT'S the part that bothered you?" Nudge asked with disbelief. "Have you ever seen Nick like that? And look at this place! We flew over it on the way here, and now it's like- gone."

"Oh, sorry," Iggy said sarcastically. "I didn't notice."

"I'm tired," Fang said simply. He was completely over all of this. "Let's go back."

"Yeah, alright," I grumbled. In all honesty, sleeping without being put in a freaking preservation tank sounded pretty good.

3-3-3-3-3

"_Hey. This is Nick Tundra again. Who else would it be anyway, right?_

"_Well... long story short, Sara's dead. It's a pretty heavy blow on me, to be honest. I never saw it coming. _

"_So now that she's gone, I'm... seriously upset. I can't tell you how much I hate to have lost her._

"_Don't mind that sound, it's just me sniffling. Sad, right? But whatever. Back on topic, now that she's gone, I know something for certain. Nobody can live forever. Nobody can be prepared for death, nobody can move on without grieving death. So why should the whitecoats be allowed to decide when anybody dies?_

"_They shouldn't. So that's why I'm going to win this battle tonight and claim the underground as my own army- so that we can obliterate every last one of them and end their insanity._

"_You might argue that I'm saying when the whitecoats should die- but honestly, they aren't people. Anybody who kills another person in the name of something other than good isn't human, in my opinion. The whitecoats don't deserve life. Not if they get to decide when people should die. _

" _Nobody else wants to do this. Nobody else can do this. That's why I'm going to._

"_Sanity is overrated- life is not."_

_3-3-3-3-3_

Wordlessly I climbed the steps of the Even room stage, a guitar strap hanging loosely on my right shoulder, supporting the brand-new black electric guitar I was going to play.

This was it. My life, and all the lives of the hopeless mutants in the school, were betted on this guitar battle.

We had an eraser on a drum set hanging back, and another on bass. Nobody'd pay mind to them, though- this was between me and the boss.

"Good morning," the boss said smoothly into a microphone. "Now, for those of you who don't know what's going on, this is the legendary Nick Tundra.

Legendary? Suck-up...

"Today will be the last day of his life. We are going to decide the leader of this organization through a guitar battle. Whoever wins lives, and the loser dies. Any questions?"

Silence fell over the Even room. I actually heard a lady in the corner of the room that had been sewing drop a pin.

"Didn't think so," he said as he picked up a guitar that was essentially the same as mine. Gibson firebird. Very nice.

"We know who's playing what, so just tell us who played better at the end," the boss said. "We're beginning... now!"

I played. I strummed on that guitar like t was the devil itself threatening to kill me. I played without worry. I was not going to lose, no matter how well he did when it was his turn to play. And then, he began to sing.

On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light  
In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight  
When the darkness has fallen down, and the times are tough all right  
The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight

Dang it, he was good... but I wasn't giving up.

Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel, through the wastelands evermore  
The scattered souls will feel the hell bodies wasted on the shores  
On the blackest plains in hell's domain, we watch them as we go  
In fire and pain, and once again we know

I FELT the lyrics leave his mouth as he played, and it gave me goose bumps. I hesitated, but didn't let it hinder me as I continued to play my part.

So now we fly ever free  
We're free before the thunderstorm  
On towards the wilderness our quest carries on  
Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight  
Deep inside our hearts and all our souls

So far away we wait for the day  
For the lives all so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on

My mind instantly went to Sara as I heard these lyrics, and I was certain the determination and anger showed on my face. As I played a short solo, preparing myself for my part, the underground cheering, I sang.

As the red day is dawning  
And the lightning cracks the sky  
They'll raise their hands to the heavens above  
With resentment in their eyes

The whitecoats would raise their heads to the heavens above in resentment in their eyes- five seconds before I killed them.

Running back from the mid-morning light  
There's a burning in my heart  
We're banished from a time in a fallen land  
To a life beyond the stars

I played vigorously; sweat pouring down my brow constantly. I didn't care. This wasn't just a fight anymore- this was a war.

In your darkest dreams see to believe  
Our destiny is time  
And endlessly we'll all be free tonight

And on the wings of a dream, so far beyond reality  
All alone in desperation, now the time has gone  
Lost inside you'll never find, lost within my own mind  
Day after day this misery must go on

Well, no more.

So far away we wait for the day  
For the lives all so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on

I played another solo, as he joined in, never missing a beat. The crowd had stopped cheering and was now simply staring slack-jawed. We must have sounded amazing. I looked over to my opposition, and I noticed his actions were slightly different from mine. He wasn't playing the same way I was.

We each had one speaker that went from the ceiling to the floor, so, about fifteen feet tall, and were half as wide. My speaker was attached to my guitar. His guitar's cord was hidden behind the speaker, so I couldn't see if it was attached.

I could, however, clearly see the radio that was DEFINITELY hooked up to his speaker.

I closed my eyes, focused on it while still playing, and burned it. As soon as it stopped playing, the music was only coming from my speaker. The cheater had thought he could get away with it. Now, though, after realizing what had happened, he looked at me with a mix of shock, anger, and hatred. Get in line, ex-boss. You can try to kill me after the others do.

The crowd instantly realized what was happening, and they began to cheer for me and ONLY me. I still didn't smile. After all, I'd started this, so I needed to finish it.

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands  
We fought so hard now can we understand  
I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can  
For freedom of every man

So far away we wait for the day  
For the lives all so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on

I carried the song through its last solo, and the crowd practically exploded with applause. I let them have their moment of cheering, panting heavily as I pulled the strap off my shoulder and threw it to the ground. It was over, and it didn't take a genius to know I'd won.

When they finally stopped cheering, I walked to the boss and told him bluntly "You lost. You cheated, obviously, so you lost. I'm not in the mood to kill you though, so just get out of here."

I wasn't in the mood for a long argument either.

He stared at me with hatred before turning to leave, stiffly marching away. The mutants parted so that he could leave, jeering at him as he left.

Just then, for a millisecond, I was able to read his mind. That was all it took.

"Whitecoat!" I shouted, and he froze. Party from shock, and partly because I'd encased him in ice. I fired a Merciless sphere at him, and he disintegrated in a ball of red light. This whole time, he'd been the spy. He'd been the one that wanted to kill us.

Well, now he was gone.

I pulled my microphone to the center of the stage, looking out to the crowd of people in front of me. Time for a motivational speech.

"Well, hi," I said simply, smiling for the first time since I'd stepped onto the stage. "As you all know, we were going to attack the school that we're connected to today. We still are. But with different methods.

"Before we talk business though," I said, looking around. "What are you?"

The question was met with silence.

"What are you, really?" I asked. "Aren't you what you've been called all your life? You're worthless. You're mistakes. You shouldn't exist. You're all freaks."

Nobody said a word.

"If you believe that, you've already lost. Nobody here is exactly like anybody else, same as those who aren't mutants. We didn't ask to be made this way, it was forced upon us!"

A few murmurs of yeah cam through the crowd.

"We shouldn't be like this, we should be regular people!"

"Yeah..."

"Why should we be any different than the people up top?!"

"Yeah!"

"What gives the whitecoats a right to alter us?! To change our lives?! TO MURDER US?!"

"YEAH!" The crowd was roaring now.

"Why should we put up with it?! WE SHOULDN'T!"

"YEAH! LET'S TAKE 'EM DOWN!"

"They think they control us! Do they control us?!" I shouted, all fired up, along with the crowd.

"NO!"

"They think we're worthless! Are we worthless?!"

"NO!"

"And are we going to prove just how much we're worth?!"

"YEAH!"

"WHO'S READY TO KICK SOME WHITECOAT BUTT?!"

A collective scream ran through the room as fists were raised, and I knew I'd won them over.

"Five o' clock, guys. Can you wait that long?"

Silence.

"Um, sure."

"Yeah."

"Whatever, yeah."

Murmurs of agreement flowed through the crowd.

"Alright, until then, get some rest, get ready, whatever. I want us ready to go by 4:55. No later. But let's have fun with this for now, alright? Alright. See you later."

The room emptied in a pretty disorderly fashion, and I winced when I noticed the total lack of collaboration. Maybe they weren't as combat-ready as I thought.

3-3-3-3-3

"Well, hello, mister leader," Christy said as I walked into our room.

"Hey."

She stared at me for a second before wrapping her arms around my neck.

"What's this about?" I asked her, unsmiling.

"Nothing," she whispered. "I'm sorry about Sar-"

"Don't start," I commanded, shrugging her off and walking to my bed. "I'm not in the mood to talk about that."

"But if you don't, you're just gonna sit there blaming yourself all the time."

"Who else is there to blame?" I asked, snorting. "I didn't save her, couldn't save her- I was too weak."

"But you aren't the one who killed her."

I winced. "I might as well be."

"Hey-"

"Don't," I muttered, laying down with my back up. "Wake me up at three."

"What's wrong with you?" she asked me, her voice sounding hurt. I didn't really care.

"Nothing. Leave me alone."

I heard footsteps before the door closed. Good. Now I could sleep.

No I couldn't.

I sighed as I rolled over, my mind drifting back to Sara, as it always did. Every time I thought of something good about her, a stab of pain came through my chest. It sucked.

I eventually went through the hallway and into her old room, where she still was lying, unmoving. I laid myself down beside her before pulling her on top of my chest.

"This is where you're most comfortable, right?" I asked, squeezing her to me. "On top of your big brother."

No response. Well, duh, right? I was talking to a corpse. The last corpse I expected to see. I mean, why Sara? Anybody could have died, so why her?

As I lay there, knowing nothing was going to happen, I felt a thump on my chest. Then, nothing.

"Sara?"

Silence. Of course. She was dead, right? I was just imagining things. But...

There it was again. A little thump, right in her chest.

"Sara!"

I picked her up, hugging her to me and running out of the room.


	28. Chapter 28

Theanimedude: Alright- here's where the plot alllllll comes together. The part I've been wanting to just post everywhere in the world since the very. First. Chapter.

Nick: (low whistle)

Fang: Wow.

Theanimedude: I also have a lot of Christina hate mail, (PMs are hate mail, I guess) so I've decided to do something that will probably make all of you happy.

Nick: What?

Theanimedude: Christina! Enter!

:Christy: Yeah? What is it-

Theanimedude: (gets out pistol) (fires)

Random unseen voice: H-H-HEADSHOT!

Nick: What the heck?!

(Clip cuts)

Theanimedude: Naw, I'm just kiddin'.

Nick: Got you guys, didn't we?

Fang: Hn.

Theanimedude: And no, I'm not going to kill Christy off- STOP FREAKING ASKING!  
Honestly, if you're going to read a story all the way up to the 26th chapter and then PM me about how much you hate a character, why keep reading onto the 27th, let alone the 28th that I'm making right now? That makes no sense.

Wheatley: It's pointless! Mad!

Theanimedude: Questions have been put on hold until I'm not too lazy to answer them- ah, screw it, I'll answer one now.

Nick: From Reflections of Twilight, for Nudge. Nudgemuffin, come in here!

Nudge: Nudgemuffin? Hm... I like it.

Theanimedude: Nudge: If you only could only have one word in your entire vocabulary, what would it be?

Nudge: Food.

Nick: Saw that one coming...

Theanimedude: Disclaimer for the not-so-loyail-Christy-hatin'-PM-misusin' readahs, Fang!

Fang: Hn, fine. Theanimedude owns Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Theanimedude: Credit for last songs chapter and then this chapter right now- and frankly, I'd be really happy if I could get just ONE piece of mail that said something nice. I've gotten enough flames to roast thirty weenies, and that's in PMs. Anyways, next chappie.

Through the Fire and Flames- Dragon Force

/lib/2006/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/ Credit for Camo's speech

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 28

"And you're saying that her heart is beating?" Espio asked me with an eyebrow raised.

"No, I'm saying she's alive because it's NOT beating."

"Okay, geez," Espio muttered. "I get it."

"If you ask me, you're obsessed with the idea of Sara living," Camo said nonchalantly. "The first reaction to learning of death of a cherished loved one is to deny the reality of the situation. It is a normal reaction to rationalize overwhelming emotions. It is a defense mechanism that buffers the immediate shock. We block out the words and hide from the facts. This is a temporary response that carries us through the first wave of pain."

"We'd know," Espio said simply.

" ... Whaaaat?" Kiki asked, looking completely confused.

"Huuuuh?" Kimmy.

" ... If I cared, I'd ask," I said, slightly bewildered by Camo's speech and, same as Kiki, confused by Espio's statement. "Just listen."

Espio and his brother sighed before leaning against the wall they were standing by. I held Sara's limp body up beside them. In a couple of seconds, the thump that came scared the crap out of them.

"What the heck?!"

"Is that even possible?!"

"Yeah," I responded. "I mean, it must be. It's happening. You guys heard it, so that means it's happening, right?"

Camo and Espio looked at each other warily before nodding at me.

"Sara!" I shouted again, hugging her unmoving body to me. "You're alive, you're alive..."

Kii and Kimmy stared at me apprehensively.

I got no response.

"What's going on?" I asked the two older siblings, and they shrugged.

"No clue," Espio said. "Maybe we're all crazy."

"That sounds about right," Camo said thoughtfully, a hand on his chin.

"No," I insisted firmly, glaring at them while I stared at Sara's silent form. "She has to be alive."

"I'm not sure," Kiki whispered sadly, poking Sara. "She doesn't seem very alive to me..."

"That wouldn't explain her having a heartbeat," I muttered.

_**I UNDERSTAND IT PERFECTLY.**_

I gasped shortly, surprised. When was the last time ol' M had talked to me?

_Merciless?_

_**YES, NICK.**_

_What the heck do you mean?!_

_**SHE'S NOT DEAD.**_

_Oh, really?! I never would've guessed! Thank you, Captain Obvious!_

_**SHE CAN BE HELPED.**_

_Helped?_

_**YOU KNOW SOMEBODY WHO CAN HELP YOU.**_

_Who?_

_**THE ONE WHO YOU SEE ONLY WHEN YOU ARE ALONE... THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE FOUGHT WITH MANY TIMES... THE ONE WHO YOU'VE KILLED.**_

Cato.

_**BINGO, NICK.**_

_Why would he help me?_

_**NOT WILLINGLY. BUT HE KNOWS SOMEBODY THAT CAN HELP YOU.**_

_Who?_

_**YOU.**_

_... What?!_

_**GO TO HIM, AND ALL WILL BE REVEALED.**_

"What does Christina think about all this?" Camo asked me, looking away from his brother.

"She doesn't know," I said simply as I envisioned Cato with anger.. "Gotta go. Bye."

I left my friends with their confusion, carrying Sara along the way.

3-3-3-3-3

"Where's Nick?" Christina asked as she walked into Camo and Espio's room.

"Gone," Camo said simply. "You just missed him."

"What?!" Christina shouted incredulously. "He left without telling me?!"

"Parentally," Kiki said, rocking between her toes and heels.

"I think she means apparently," Espio said," and the smaller girl nodded in agreement.

"That's what I said."

"But he- He-" Christina sighed in exasperation. "What happened?! I mean, yes, he has an excuse to grieve, yes, he's entitled to his alone time, but for one thing, he runs an army, and for another, he loves me! Why wouldn't he tell me that he was leaving?!"

"Maybe he didn't want you to know?" Kiki suggested, her eyes scrunched up as she thought to the best of her ability.

"To be fair, he didn't tell us where he was going," Camo pointed out.

"Well, we can't exactly go out and look for him with an entire army of mutants getting ready to charge into World War Three!" Christina shouted. "Ugh, this sucks..."

"I'll go and tell everybody what's up," Camo said. "In the meantime, why don't you get one of the wolves to lead you to him?"

" ... That's not a bad idea," Christina said after looking at the wolves, all curled up in the corner. "C' mere, Akira," she said, and one of the wolves hopped up, trotting over to Christina and flopping onto her back.

"How did...?"

"Nick told me all their names," she said as she scratched the wolf's belly, making its tongue loll out in ecstasy. "He said that they had to call each other something. This one's Akira." She smiled as the wolf lifted up its head to meet Christy's face, giving it a sloppy kiss that had the other four human's in the room making "ew" faces, but Christina didn't seem to mind.

"Isn't she sweet?"

"Um, yeah," Kiki said, looking away. "Really sweet."

"I'm going after him," Christina said as she ran out the door.

"Good luck," Kimmy shouted after the older girl, mirroring her sister.

3-3-3-3-3

I groaned as I sat up in the dimly lit room that I knew too well.

"So, what is this, the second time he's killed you?" my oh-so caring partner asked me. "You're pushing it. Most people only get one shot."

"Shut up," I muttered as he patched me up.

I rose slowly, my bare feet meeting the cold tiled floor. "So? Have I gone in and fought him enough?"

"Yeah," he told me, beaming. Genuinely beaming. "Good job out there. You really-"

"Played the cannon fodder act?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sending me to commit suicide on purpose?"

"Of course not," Dak told me reassuringly, which somehow didn't reassure me at all. "You're done dying. You've still got seven lives left anyway though, eh cat boy?"

"Very funny," I grumbled. "I found the part where you sent me out to almost kill Sara the best. That was just a waste of time."

"Hey now," he said with a hurt expression. "Everything has a purpose. You'll see."

"I can't wait."

"Alright," Dak said, now in business mode, as signified by the sudden clasping of his hands. "I've got the armor that absorbs his elemental attacks, I've got the weapons rigged into the armor, and I've gotten you a little strength enhancer to fight him with."

"So basically I'm Iron Man on steroids?" I asked in a growl.

"Except Iron Man lost repetitively. You're losing ends now."

"Uh-huh," I muttered, walking to the wall where he'd shown me my gear was.

"Show some confidence, partner," Dak said in a disapproving tone. "There's literally no way you can lose now. Not even one."

"Look, just send me to him so we can get this over with," I demanded as I pulled the thick metallic suit over my head and let it cling to my body easily before adjusting itself to allow me more fluid movement.

"I don't need to do that," he said with a small smile.

"And why not?"

"He's here."

My fist suddenly shot out to my left on instinct, just in time to catch him as he burst through the wall. There was less than a second's time that I got to see his ace go from enraged anger to total surprise. I stared at the place where Nick had just been as Dak laughed.

"I've never seen my own face like that!" he chortled. "I look ridiculous!"

"Yeah," I agreed with a grin. "Excuse me while I go out there and kick your butt."

"Be my guest."

Okay, with the amount of times I'd failed, I didn't really trust Dak for a little while. But now? Of course I trusted him.

"You!" Nick shouted at me after I leapt through the hole in the wall and landed next to Nick a few yards away.

"Yes, me!"

"You hurt Sara!" he accused, staggering to his feet before falling right back down.

"I did absolutely nothing of the sort!" I said with mock innocence.

"You hurt her, you can fix her," he said, finally rising to his feet and limping towards me. Kid had guts.

Hold on- let's rewind. He completely overpowered me back at the glaciers, knocked me out with little effort as soon as he got all murderous-like at the ocean, and kicked my butt at the school that he'd been chickening out in just recently. ONE PUNCH NOW, and he can hardly stand?

_Oh yeah. I'm loving this, _I thought to myself with a smile.

"Maybe I don't want to help her," I said simply. "Why should I?"

"I don't care what you want!" he shouted, still limping "I want Sara back!"

I could've killed him right then if I had wanted to. But I wanted the freak to feel a whole lot of pain first. Not just physical pain- that was easy. No, I wanted to hurt him by showing him just how weak he really was. I'd wound his mind, his sense of superiority over everything, and especially his pride.

"You've made that perfectly clear by bringing her straight to me," I said, holding one and out slowly. "You're practically begging for her to be killed."

His glare intensified, his eyes going bloodshot. Okay, I can deal with the red-light-thingy while insulting him.

"Also, don't you lead an army now?" I asked him. "You left them alone just before a huge attack on the school was scheduled. That's VERY irresponsible."

"Shut up!" he shouted, suddenly charging towards me. I jump to my left and grabbed his arm as he passed me before going horizontal in the air and spinning him into the ground.

I let the metallic boot of my armor settle on his face, pushing it down into the rocky ground of the barren wasteland that Dak's laboratory was in. Where in the world was it? Pfft, like I'd tell you.

"And," I added. "Haven't you been neglecting those around you for some googly-eyed babe for a little while now? Frankly, that's mean. Do you think Sara loved you nearly as much as she did before you met this Cassie girl?"

"Christy!" he shouted, trying to push himself up as I rotated my foot, effectively eliciting a yelp of pain from his throat.

I then picked him up by the neck with one hand, making him choke and gasp for air, scratching at my hands desperately and breaking his lupine claws on my metallic gloves.

"And to top it all off," I continued. "You even blocked HER out in favor of running straight to me to commit suicide and get your 'little sister' killed."

"Sh-Shut up!" he yelled, his pupils dilating as he slowed his clawing down, starting to go limp in my arms.

"You're pathetic," I taunted, holding him up like he was a freaking feather. "You make all the worst decisions. You cut your ties with your friends, you get your friends killed, and- well, everything you do is just letting your friends down."

He stared at me, all the hatred on his face replaced with mortification and acknowledgement. He knew just how wrong he was.

"Want me to help you end it all?" I asked him. "Well, here!"

I threw him upwards just a tad and whaled on him, sending him flying. FLYING. I couldn't even see him anymore, I punched him so hard.

I heard everything- his ribs cracking, his outburst of pain, the _whoosh _of air as he careened through the sky, and lastly, the tree that he crashed into breaking open.

"I... I did it," I whispered to myself before cackling gleefully. "He's dead!"

"_No, he isn't," _Dak said, making a _tsk_ sound. _"Your little traitors gave him life-threatening wounds plenty of times and he lived through it easily, only getting better each time. He is unconscious, though. Bring him here._

Right then, I would've done just about anything for the guy.

3-3-3-3-3

"This way, huh?" Christina asked the wolf as they ran through the night forest. It panted in reply, dashing with all the strength of its four legs.

"Guess it must be," she nodded, continuing to follow the lupine creature. Then they both froze.

"Who's there?" Christina shouted as Akira growled. The slightest sound had tipped them both off to the presence of another living creature.

"Just us crickets," a voice replied before its source touched down beside her.

"Leroy-"

"ALPHA!"

That was all the confirmation she needed. Plus, pretty much nobody else she knew wore flight goggles.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. "Stalking us?"

"No, no," Leroy said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "I came to talk to you."

"Talk... to me?" Christina asked slowly and deliberately, obviously looking down on the boy in front of her, who scowled.

"Yes, talk to you, you stupid- never mind." He grumbled, turning around. "And here I was going to tell you something really interesting..."

"What?" Christina asked him with surprise. He was using childish tactics to get what he wanted- and she was falling for it hook, line and sinker.

"Weeeeeeell..." Leroy said, stretching the word out. "Just something I noticed, nothing to big..."

"Tell me, come on," Christina implored, walking up to his back.

"Say please."

"Please?"

"Alright," he said, turning with a corny grin before turning serious. "Christina, do you know what just happened recently?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sara died," Leroy said, his voice sounding harsh instead of having its usual obnoxious tone.

"Yeah... and?" Christy asked him, not seeing the point.

"Nick- the new boss," Leroy said, scolding himself inwardly. "Is in a mourning phase. He doesn't do it like most people, he skipped right to depression instead of starting with denial, and he's staying there. You're not his first priority."

"But she's dead," Christina said, cocking an eyebrow. "I should be."

"Well, you're not," Leroy told her bluntly. "The boss cared for that girl a lot, and to have her suddenly be gone is a horrible thing to him. I know."

"How do you-"

"I only got mutated after I watch those labcoated morons send their little wolf pets to butcher my family," he told her. "Loss sucks. It takes everything away from you, and leave you empty. You change. I did, so is he."

"But-"

"From what I've seen, he was a caring person," Leroy cut her off. "Real nice guy, no doubt about it. He cared for nothing more than his family- and of course, his girlfriend. But now he cares about one thing above all else."

"Revenge," Christina whispered.

"Exactly. Revenge," Leroy said with a nod. "You're not at the top of his love list right now, so you need to leave him be until he's ready to take you back."

"What if I want him back now?" Christina asked defiantly, appalled that this boy, no older than her, would speak to her like that. "I'm the greatest thing in his life, and he's said it himself. There's no reason why he shouldn't be crawling back to me after what he did!"

They stared at each other for a moment before Leroy held up his hand and- faster than she could see- smacked her across her left cheek, making it burn.

"You are so full of it," he growled as tears started to form in her eyes. "You're not the greatest thing in his life. It isn't all about what you care about. You know pain. You understand pain. Well, he's got pain that goes deeper than what you care about. If you don't care, I wasted time coming out here to talk to you. Hope you're happy."

With that, he turned around, adjusted his goggles slightly and took off, his dragonfly wings buzzing and carrying him away faster that she'd seen anyone fly before. Akira nudge the girl with her nose, as though to remind her that she was there, and turned to set course for where Nick was.

"No," Christy whispered. "Let's leave him alone for now."


	29. Chapter 29

Theanimedude: Updating is fun... I'm back, for those of you who care.

Nick: Am I dying? Are you ending the series?

Theanimedude: Well, no. Not really. The way things are going, I'm uploading this and then two separate possible endings for this installment, one of which leading to the next one, the other ending the series entirely. Take the one you want, mah... loyail readahs. Seriously though, if you're reading this, it proves you are a loyal reader. After all, I was gone for like, a month or so. Then again, there are those fanfics that don't get updated for months. So you know what? From now on, I'll update at my own pace. Please don't complain. I don't like ranting, even when I do rant.

The Christy hate mail stopped coming in for some reason. I'm glad.

One last thing- I'm not sure if this next scene is rated T, so if you're squeamish, don't read.

Now, on to the next chappie- may Tails Doll haunt your dreams like LightningSword5.

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 29

"Can you feel the sunshine?"

The question echoed in my head as I walked down an endless dark corridor.

"Does it brighten up your day?"

The voice seemed to be singing slowly. I saw Nick sitting far from me in the corridor, strumming his guitar with his back to me. He was doing it.

"Don't you feel like sometimes you just need to run away?"

Did I ever. But for some reason, I felt compelled to keep moving, no matter how off things felt.

"Reach out for the sunshine, just forget about the rain."

The words were calm and kind, words of encouragement, but they gave me chills as he sang them.

"Just think about the good times, and they will come back again."

As I finally reached Nick, he turned around to face me, not moving his body at all, but seemingly levitating to get in this new position. I gasped shortly in surprise as he stood up, again seeming to float.

"Help me, Max," he slurred. "Or... you could just stand there and watch me burn!"

He suddenly was engulfed in fire before he disappeared altogether. I leapt back with fear, my combat instincts seeming weaker than usual for some reason.

I immediately woke up to see that I was surrounded by derasers. As I looked for my flock, they seemed to growl in a low rumble, salivating in anticipation.

It happened so fast.

I was fighting for my life, beating down deraser after deraser, their shadowy forms dissipating upon contact. Their howls of pain rang in my ears, unnerving me and making me panic.

_Stay calm, Max,_ I thought to myself. _You can do this._

Could I, though?

The end was nowhere in sight as I kicked, punched, and battered everything that got near me. They kept coming, their ruby red eyes staring into my soul.

I gasped out as one lashed my arm with a clawed hand, raking five lines of blood across it. Then they all fell on top of me, slashing before retreating over and over. I kept moving, moving myself onto my head and attempting to spin upside-down, my legs spread, a sort of break dance move that kept the less powerful ones away. Yet, they kept coming.

I was getting dizzy. Blood clouded my already dull vision. My hair was being weighed down by said blood, sticking with sickening warmth to my face. I felt bile in my throat as a particularly brave and fast one drove its hand into my stomach, feeling like I was caving in on myself.

I was running purely on adrenaline now, working hard to stay alive as I weakly launched myself at them. They got me to the ground, pulling my arms behind my back and twisting them while they held my legs down.

One let its tongue loll out and dragged it across my face, making me shudder with horror and disgust. Its smirk was to real as it looked down at me, deraser drool dripping onto my cheeks. Their hold on my arms and legs was rough, but... spongy. Like a sort of slippery, malleable substance comprised their bodies. The one straddling me had an awful look in its eyes, and I didn't know what to think of it.

Suddenly, it reared back before shoving a paw into my wide open mouth. I felt like I was going to vomit up an ocean as the slimy substance oozed its way down my throat. I choked, I puked, I struggled, but still the volatile creature poured into me, slowly making its way into my body. Intense pain veined me, starting with my neck, than going down through my back, my legs, and back up.

I sobbed pathetically, not even able to scream. Struggling against the demons' hold to no avail, I was only pushed down further into the ground as I was devoured from the inside out. This creature was eating me alive.

When it seemed as though I was definitely dying, the pain vanished, healed, even, with a flash of searing light. A vision of Nick showed itself for about half a second before disappearing.

"_I won't always be there to help you_," his voice spoke into my mind. _"Cherish me while you've got me."_

"What?" I asked the empty air, looking for answers. What was going on? What had just happened?

I took deep breaths, trying to erase from my mind the fact that I'd almost been eaten alive by a freaking monster (still having nightmares about it, in case you were wondering) and looking around. My breath was ragged, my clothes and muddled hair giving me a haggard look.

I noticed I was in yet another forest, and that it was late at night. My internal clock told me it was about ten-thirty. The trees and grasses were clean, showing no sign of a struggle. Had it just been another nightmare?

No. I could still feel how that demon had slid into me, how it tried to devour me, even if the pain was gone.

The flock was nowhere around me, just as they hadn't been when I was being attacked. I felt much more vulnerable without them now. I liked to make people think that I believed I was perfect. Well, I wasn't. I'm still not. I almost got killed, and I would've if Nick hadn't swooped in and rescued me in the... heh heh, nick of time, like he always did.

I was supposed to be able to protect myself. I wasn't supposed to constantly need a handsome guardian angel to stay alive. And yet, I still was being rescued by him. I was grateful, but... I guess frustrated was the right word for it. I felt weak. And what is Maximum Ride if not strong?

_Nothing. I'm nothing if I can't keep myself alive, _I thought grimly. It's only when you're alone that you can truly be yourself. And it's only when I'm alone that I allow myself to cry. When it rains, it pours, and when I cry, I bawl. I don't care if I look like a blubbering wimp when I'm alone.

"I'm just a kid!" I shouted, not caring if the whole world heard me. "I can't handle all this on my own! Where are you guys?! Fang, Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, Angel!" I was curled in an upright ball on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. My sobs were only partly muffled by my jeans, my voice reflecting how I felt in the moment- broken and weak. I needed my flock, I needed somebody.

"Nobody can be alone forever, Max," a quiet, rough voice came from right beside my ear, making me jump. Strong, gentle arms made their way around my stomach and lower back, brushing the tops of my jean legs. A head settled itself on top of my own like a puzzle piece, snug and comfortable for me.

"Fang?" I gasped in mortification. How could I have let him see me like this?

"Not exactly," the person whispered again, his voice familiar.

"Nick?" I almost sighed with relief. Almost. "Why are you back?"

"I wanted to see you again," he whispered. "I had something I really wanted to tell you."

"Yeah?" my heart beat in my chest rapidly, feeling and sounding to me like hammer blows in my bosom.

"I wanted to tell you..." he paused before I could hear the smirk in his voice. "That you're an ignorant little skank!"

The warmth disappeared completely as cold, mean laughter echoed through the forest, and I finally rose to my feet, looking around to see any immediate threat.

"You may want to go to your brother, Maxy," the voice chortled. "It may be the last time you see him."

I wanted to get away from that voice, this forest, everything. My face feeling dry from the absence of tears, I dashed my way out of the forest, taking flight the first chance. I tried to link my mind with Nick, and heard a sound like static. I flew through the night, trying desperately to get something, anything from Nick.

Then- an image.

My destination.

I veered to the left and blasted away with my super speed, hoping to make it before I was too late.

3-3-3-3-3

I picked up the small MP3 player, staring at it with piqued curiosity. It was in Nick's room, on top of the blankets set into his bed. The blankets that I'd made the night he'd vanished. I turned the switch to on and put the earbuds in, flipping through the options until I found music. I scrolled through it- and found nothing. No music whatsoever.

After sighing, I went back and went through the other options. There was one reading "Playback" next to another reading "Record."

I checked the playback option, and found four files. Four, measly files, just sitting in the MP3 player. What good could they have done? I clicked the first one, listening to it for a good few seconds of rustling before a voice came on.

"_Nick Tundra here! I'm recording myself on this thing so that I can pass time. Anyway, this'll mark my first night living in the mutant underground. Christy and I got the same room, so that's a good thing._

_"We met the leader tonight. He's not really suited to the role, in my opinion. He seems like he doesn't really care about taking the school out, but he does have some motive. Not quite sure what it is, though._

_"In any case, I'm here to help bring down the school at whatever cost I have to pay, so that's what I'll do! _

_"Oh, the boss is calling us- guess he's got a job for The Pack. I'll make another one of these soon, I promise. ... Look at you talkin' to yourself, Nick. You must be insane. But then again, isn't sanity overrated?_

_"See ya'!"_

His voice made me smile. He was upbeat, enjoying himself, nothing like he'd been the last few days. He must've recorded this the day we arrived here. I pressed the button to go to the next one.

_"Hey. This is Nick Tundra again. Who else would it be anyway, right?_

_"Well... long story short, Sara's dead. It's a pretty heavy blow on me, to be honest. I never saw it coming. _

_"So now that she's gone, I'm... seriously upset. I can't tell you how much I hate to have lost her._

_"Don't mind that sound, it's just me sniffling. Sad, right? But whatever. Back on topic, now that she's gone, I know something for certain. Nobody can live forever. Nobody can be prepared for death, nobody can move on without grieving death. So why should the whitecoats be allowed to decide when anybody dies?_

_"They shouldn't. So that's why I'm going to win this battle tonight and claim the underground as my own army- so that we can obliterate every last one of them and end their insanity._

_"You might argue that I'm saying when the whitecoats should die- but honestly, they aren't people. Anybody who kills another person in the name of something other than good isn't human, in my opinion. The whitecoats don't deserve life. Not if they get to decide when people should die. _

_" Nobody else wants to do this. Nobody else can do this. That's why I'm going to._

_"Sanity is overrated- life is not."_

This time, I had to hold my own tears back. This was right before he and the old leader had fought. I sniffled, remembering the good old times when it felt like Nick loved me. Who else was there to love me? I had to cling to that. I had to have that no matter what. So when he stopped loving me, I had to try so hard not to fall apart.

Thinking back, I should've accepted that he had other people that he loved, even if I didn't. Maybe if I had, Sara would've still been alive. I sadly pressed the next button.

"_Sara's alive. Sara's fine. I-I felt her heartbeat. That means she's alive, right? Nobody believes me. Christina wouldn't believe me either. I'll show them all. I'll prove to them that Sara's alive."_

He'd called me Christina. He always called me Christy. This was right before he left with Sara. He was out somewhere else now, and I was probably in the back of his mind. Alpha had been right. I forlornly went to go to the next one, my finger hovering above the button before pausing.

_That last one was recorded just before he left_, I thought to myself. _When could he have recorded this? _I pressed the button warily.

"_Christy."_

I froze. The voice was a raspy whisper, but I couldn't deny that it was Nick.

"_I need you to follow my instructions very carefully. Go outside and fly in thisdirection until you find this place."_

Two images flashed before my eyes, but I remembered them well, dashing with all my supermutant speed to get where I needed to be.


	30. Chapter 30

Theanimedude: Y'ello.

Nick: Hey.

Fang: Hn.

Theanimedude: Well, I'm writing again. On Winter Break. In mah undies.

Nick: Ew.

Fang: (insert barfing sound effect here)

Theanimedude: Anywho, the question this week is from a good friend of mine who I'd like to apologize to for my absence) xxxmaxandfangforeverxxx.

Nick: Ooh la la.

Fang: Shut up!

Theanimedude: For Iggy: How can you cook so well?

Iggy: I know what I want, and what I want knows I want it. We attract each other.

Nick: Iggy? Your fangirls are trying to break through the window.

Iggy: SEE?!

Theanimedude: Fang, board the windows, and Nick, disclaimer!

Nick: Theanimedude owns the dead Sara and I. He also owns Camo and Espio, as well as Dak. The original ideas for characters Cato, Kimmy and Kiki were supplied by Pennycat11. The following is a fan-based parody. Maximum Ride and all its respecting characters and titles belong to James Patterson. Please support the official release.

Thgeanimedude: Okay, here's a smelly chapter. Don't smell it.

Fang: WE'VE GOT A BREAK!

Nick: OH NOOOOO!

Iggy: LADIES, PLEASE! I LOVE THIS SHIRT! LEAVE ME ALONE, I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!

Theanimedude: For some reason I have this weird urge to start tickling people...

Nick the Eraser 2 chapter 30

"Well, hi Max," Doctor Martinez said as she opened the door, giving me a weak smile. "We've been expecting you."

"We?" I asked in exhausted conusion as Ella came to the door, followed shortly by my flock.

"Max?"

"Max!"

Of course, the three youngest piled onto me, while Fang and Iggy just sort of hung back with half smiles on their faces. I checked them out, and they looked horrible. Wound-wise, they looked fine, but they looked about as horror-stricken as I felt.

"What happened to you?" I asked, regarding my family with care. "You look like ghosts."

"Oh Max, it was terrible!" Angel bawled, and I mean BAWLED, into my shirt, Nudge and Gazzy not far behind. "Those black Erasers showed up, an' they were eating me, and then they got in my mouth, an'-" she was blubbering like a baby seal.

"I know baby, I know," I whispered, holding her and trying not to cry again, either from remembering MY experience or from seeing my little Angel like this. "The same thing happened with me."

"Then you..." Fang didn't finish his sentence, but I knew what he was getting at. I nodded with a grimace, shaking at the memory.

"As if we didn't have enough freaky going on," Iggy muttered. "I'm pretty sure I still have some goo in my throat."

"Who saved you?" I asked, looking at them all at once.

"The guy who's upstairs in his old bed," Gazzy told me, taking my hand and practically dragging me up the stairs.

"Thanks for letting me in!" I shouted back, to which Ella laughed weakly.

Fang opened the door slowly to a room with walls painted blue, a ceiling fan with a light bulb (off) sinning and supplying the room with coolness. It looked tidy, though not used very often.

There was a bed in the corner, with blankets brought up around a body with feet hanging off the end the small bed, back to me. I walked over to said body, curiosity telling me to find out who it was. I laid my hand on the person's shoulder, and he groaned slightly, rolling over onto his back. I gasped.

"Nick," I whispered, and he groaned again, his eyes looking pained. Bandages were strewn across his face, and as far as I could tell, they were everywhere else on his body as well.

"He has a fever," Doctor Martinez told me as she entered. "He came here, looking more dead than alive with blood pouring out of his mouth and nose, one of his eyes swollen shut and the other burned, and his clothes, well..." she gestured to the corner of the room that had been hidden by the door when we opened it, and saw a pile of what looked to be strings, but were actually a pair of jeans and blue t-shirt.

"He was holding Sara so tight, that even when we told him he needed medical attention, he wouldn't let go. We had to sedate him just to get him onto his bed."

"Sara?" I asked with mounting hope. "How is she?"

"Comatose," she told me readily, as though she'd expected the question. "But alive as far as I can tell. She's in the other guest room across the hall."

"Oh, thank God," I whispered before I realized something was off. "Why is he here?"

"He was saying something about coming here before he died," Ella said with worry on her brow, biting her lip almost before her sentence was even done.

"But I just saw him a couple hours ago," I said before glaring at his sleeping form. "He called me an ignorant ska-"

"We all saw him, Max," Fang said, cutting me off and gesturing to Angel, who smiled sweetly before her worry for Nick took over her expression. "He called us all some pretty rude things. I think there's something else going on here."

"Like did you notice how he only showed up when we were, like, almost dead?" Nudge asked me, and I took that into consideration.

"And how he called us ALL mean things, like he didn't care about us?" Gazzy pointed out.

"There was also how his voice was cackling in the forest," Fang stated evenly, his hand on his chin. "Do you think maybe..."

"A clone of Nick?" I asked immediately. "While that's just about as bad as it gets, it does seem possible, especially considering times of late."

"And if there's a clone of Nick," Fang looked me dead in the eyes, his own brown ones smoldering. "Then maybe we've seen him before now."

"Like when we were at school," I breathed, almost unable to believe it. "When he attacked us... and the little twins told us he was fighting Cato. Oh my lord."

Everything was coming together. A fake Nick had tricked us into thinking Nick had gone traitor on us, when in reality he was as loyal and loving as a puppy. We kicked him out and let him get hit by a train because of what a fake Nick had done. This wasn't even part of what the Merciless had done. Nothing was Nick's fault.

"And now, because of us," I whispered, getting down on my knees next to Nick on the bed. "Nick's going to die. Oh my lord."

I fought the tears that threatened to spill over even with the flock watching me, Ella and Doctor Martinez going downstairs when they heard knocking at the door.

"Nick?" Angel whispered uncertainly. "We're all here. We want to talk to you."

He groaned in his sleep, as though he was having nightmares, his wings going rigid as they unfurled slightly.

"Wake up," I whispered. "Come on, you idiot, wake up."

He just lay there, frowning at nothing, eyes closed as though concentrating.

"Maximum?" a voice came from the doorway, and I turned my head in surprise.

"Christina?"

"Hey," she whispered, stepping in slowly, my human friends close behind. Her eyes were aimed at the floor in a nonconfrontational way, refusing to look up to meet mine. "So, he told you to come here too, huh?"

"Yeah," I murmured. Our eyes met, and I sort of mutual understanding passed between us. We both cared about Nick, even if we didn't care to much for each other.

"Where's the rest of your group?" Fang asked the question as it formed in my mind.

"Kimmy and Kiki are right behind me, and... well, Camo and Espio opted to stay behind and entertain the Underground."

3-3-3-3-3

They call me Crazy Loooop  
Gotta gotta be crazy loooop  
Gotta get a life  
Oh, mom, I've trïed  
Gotta gotta be lonely-lon-lon-lon.

Author's note: Yes, this is where I want it, and no, I'm not putting in anymore lyrics.

3-3-3-3-3

"Hope that works out," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"With those two, I'm sure it'll work fine," she told me, forcing a nervous laugh as she averted her gaze. "What's up with Nick?"

"Out cold," I responded, knocking on the side of his head gently. "He's just lying here and groaning."

"Nick's turning out just like Sara did," Kiki whispered as her sister nodded, entering simultaneously.

"Butchered and then just sleeping forever."

"What the heck did he get himself into?" I asked aloud.

"He took down a couple of schools by himself," Christina pointed out with a contemplative look on her face. "I was convinced that he was the strongest guy on this planet. So... What?"

"I don't think that the problem is what it is, or even WHO it is," Fang said thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed in a humorless frown. "I think that the problem is that if it's strong enough to break Nick down to this, then what can it do to us?"

That was about as chilling a thought as a thought could've been those days.

"Hey, wait a minute," Gazzy whispered, pointing to Nick's crippled form on the bed. "He's wakin' up!"

"Nick!" Christina practically threw herself on top of him, me dodging out of the way from where I was crouched beside him just time. "Oh, Nick!"

He coughed briefly, his one visible eye squinting at her. It widened only a couple of seconds afterward as he sat bolt upright before yelping in pain and lying back down.

"Don't move yet!" Ella shouted at him, worriedly taking hold of his hand opposite from me on the bed. He tried to say something, his mouth working, but he couldn't form a proper word.

"What?" I asked him with fear mounting much like the hope I'd had for Sara earlier. "What is it, Nick? You can tell me."

He pointed to the corner of the room where his clothes laid, his eyes speaking volumes of desperation and hope. Angel walked over to the ragged jeans and pilfered their pockets, pulling out a vaccination needle.

"Why do you have that?!" I asked him incredulously. "What the heck are you going to do with something like that?!" He remained silent, but his jaw worked slightly, moving from side to side as though it was broken and he was trying to put it back in place. Finally, he mouthed Sara's name and pointed to his arm.

"Sara?" I asked with confusion, looking over to Angel.

"His thoughts are all jumbled up," she told me. "It's like I'm looking at a field of catnip at one point and a picture of Jeff the Killer next."

"Nothing else is coming?" I asked, wondering just what had happened to Nick.

"Hold on," she muttered, concentrating hard. Then, she jumped back and screamed as Nick howled with pain.

"What's going on?!" Christina asked, grabbing hold of Nick's hand and shaking it, tears in her eyes. "Nick! What. Is. Going. On?!"

He was all out screaming now, his voice raspy and weak. This wasn't a wolf's howl, no; this was an all-out human scream of pain. He looked to Angel now, pleading with her about something. She suddenly seemed to get what he was saying and stepped back, leaving Nick lying on his side, where he flopper onto his back, panting heavily, his eye squeezed shut. Christina was holding one hand, Ella the other, both whispering comforting words to him, and though I would've hated to admit it at the time, I wished I could've been holding a hand as well.

"I think reading his mind is out of the question," Angel whispered, sheepishly playing with her own hair, twirling it around each finger apprehensively.

Nick gave out a short laugh at her comment, a hoarse, thick laugh, but undoubtedly a laugh nonetheless. He winced afterwards, obviously injured to begin with, but possibly even worse now.

"What did they do to him?" I murmured, looking to my brother with misery. I can't tell you to this day how much I hated seeing him like this. "Shouldn't he be in a hospital?"

"He told us to just let him heal," Doctor Martinez told us, hesitating before continuing. "His eyes went red when he said that, and it was like... if we didn't listen to him, he would've killed us."

Merciless.

"We know what that is, don't we, Nick?" I asked him with a dark laugh, and he nodded weakly.

"We still don't know what this is," Angel told the room, her eyes transfixed on the blue liquid suspended within the translucent one that flowed in the needle. "Or what he wants us to do with it."

Nick's eyes widened again, and with much effort, he lifted a hand, heavily wrapped in bandages, and pointed to the hallway. We looked to it and saw the other guest room that Sara was supposedly sitting in.

"You want us to vaccinate Sara with this?" Nudge asked him, and he nodded, relief showing on his face.

"I don't know, Nick," Doctor Martinez told him, making his eyes darken. "Do you know what it is? I really need to analyze it before I-"

"No," he finally croaked out the word, one, solitary word, and we looked at him with surprise. "Needs..."

"Needs?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Sara..."

"Sara needs it?" I clarified, and he nodded, relief coming back over him.

"Please."

"Okay," Doctor Martinez said with a shrug. "If you're so hell-bent on this, I'll give it to her. Where?"

"Arm," he told her, looking even paler as he spoke. "Hurry."

"Alright," she was gone with that phrase as she dashed to Sara's room, the rest of us staying by Nick's side. He blinked before he began to stare at the ceiling, as though there was something there for him. His arm slowly rose, grasping at nothing, horrible cracking sounds coming from it as he winced.

"Light," he whispered, a blissful smile besetting him.

"Wait, whoa whoa whoa," Iggy piped up, running over to Nick, not so much as bumping anybody on the way. "Don't step into the light! Don't do it!"

He looked at Iggy like he was crazy before it dawned on him and he lowered his arm quickly.

"Whoops," he said with a sheepish half-grin. "Sorry."

"You're turning into me," Fang told him, a smirk on his lips. "All the one-liners."

"You're already me," Nick pointed out. "You're talking up a storm in here."

"Shut up, mutt," Fang laughed out loud, something Fang rarely ever did.

"Whatever, Mister Tall, Dark and Stupid," Nick retorted, a playful smirk falling over his face as well.

"Big brother!" A voice we all knew came from the doorway, and I swear Nudge gave herself whiplash just from turning. The small, brunette, six-year-old girl we all knew rushed in, all ripped skirt and wild pale eyes, getting between me and Nick, which at the moment, I really didn't mind.

"Hey, Sara," he whispered, and she looked at him almost desperately before she calmed at seeing him alive.

"Your back," she said suddenly, and my eyebrows rose.

"Hm?" he grunted in question, looking over to her.

"Everybody else sleeps on either their sides or their stomachs," she said matter-of-factly. "You sleep on your back."

"Hm," he grunted again.

"Doesn't that hurt your wings?" she asked him.

"No," he said before pausing. "But they ache like heck in the morning."

She laughed almost jubilantly before bursting into tears, throwing her arms around his neck and bawling into the pillow his head was laid on. One of his arms snaked around her as he lay there, staring up at the ceiling, his smile splitting his face gracefully.

Okay, I've said it once, I'll say it again- I hate emotions. But I couldn't the sobfest that the entire room turned into not even a second afterward.

We were all alive. I couldn't have asked for much more than that.

3-3-3-3-3

Yeah, I know it's filler. I'm getting to the good stuff, trust me. And review, for crying out loud. I know that you've been here since I uploaded my last chapter, I've checked the story stats. Don't leave me hanging now.

Dan Balan- Crazy Loop

Five for Fighting- All I Know

TJ Davis- Can You Feel the Sunshine


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